Catching Up!

Since starting school back in January life has changed quite a bit and sadly this is an area that has gone much neglected.  I have been thinking of my blog here lately and wanted to just catch everyone up on camp camp, school life, and life in general. 

Let me start with camp life first.  This summer we had a wonderful summer with a wonderful staff too.  This is my first summer trying to balance both camp and school life at the same time.  I am happy to say that it worked out as well as it could have.  My classes were focused on challenges that my supervisor Aaron and I had visited about.  My classes were experience based so camp was my classroom.  This summer I focused a lot on how to develop a team and what the best way was to progressively build a team that was productive in meeting camp needs while taking out time to minister to those I worked with spiritually.  I set specific goals and worked on them throughout the summer.  As my goals weren't reached then my mind start thinking almost immediately on how to improve and accomplish my goals.  Some goals were achieved and some didn't work out quite the way I had planned.  The nice thing is that it is always a learning and growing experience.  The Lord is never done with the work He begins. 

At the start of the summer we needed to restructure a bit and with that need a position in the dining hall came open.  I was asked about it and if I would want it.  With summer just starting and definite goals set for the summer I didn't feel like that was the right move for me at that time.  There were a couple of options floating in the air so for a month I watched, prayed, visited with various people in leadership, and then my camp director visited with me.  At the first of the summer I wasn't in a place to switch roles but as the summer progressed and as the options were running out the Lord started working on me as to whether I should go back into food service or remain where I was.  The Lord clearly revealed to me His will by the end of the summer and I started working in the Kitchen full time on August 1st as Assistant Food Service Director.  This has been a wonderful change for me and has helped with my class load as well.  It is strange that it is working that way because I am putting in more hours now then I did before, but I do put in most of my work hours on the weekend and some in the week which leaves more time during the weekdays to work on class work.   There are differences in how Sacramento serves and preps food compared to Ceta so there was more learning to do in the kitchen and that was a big reason for the decision to change. 

As for school life well it is fast and furious and before I know it I think I will be finished.  In the spring I took Introduction to the New Testament and Introduction to the Old Testament.  I was fortunate to have the same online teacher for both classes and I loved it.  With Intro. to the NT being my first class I started out a little slow but by the time I finished off the session I had an A.  I felt that is was a good start after being out of school since high school except for a few certification courses along the way (which all the tests were multiple choice).  Intro. to the OT went so much better I started out strong and stayed strong.  I finished off this class with an A too.  This was so exciting for me because as most of you know I wasn't the most dedicated student in high school so I wasn't sure how this would work out. 

In the summer I did 2 experience based classes as I said earlier which were Developing Dynamic Teams and Organizations as Learning Communities.  This was an interesting balance with summer hitting here at camp and trying to balance 2 classes at the same time.  The Lord was faithful and with little sleep and lots of support from my supervisor I was able to finish off the summer with and A in both classes.  I learned a lot from having camp as my classroom.  When talking with my advisor about my fall classes the Lord was amazing and my advisor worked it out that I got credit for another experience based class that was a Challenge Course class.  Because of my experience and hours that I had on our challenge course my advisor said that I could prove with that information that I was competent in the challenge course so he would see what he could do.  It worked out that I was able to get credit for this class during the summer too. 

Now I am in the fall semester and have just finished session 1 of classes.  I took my first grad online class and I have to say I was very nervous.  I had a new teacher, there was more work, and she only opened up one week at a time which meant I couldn't check out the whole class and go completely bonkers with thinking I couldn't do it.  Looking back I am now thankful that she didn't open all 8 weeks to us because I just focused on one week at a time which was so much better then looking at the whole picture.  My class was Inductive Bible Study.  We learned how to study our Bible based off of Precept Ministries format.  This was life changing for me.  I learned so much about how to study God's Word through observation, interpretation, and application.  I would suggest this form of studying God's Word to anyone and am hoping to either mentor someone on how to study their Bible individually or maybe even start up a small Bible Study group to teach them this method.  We will see what opportunities the Lord opens up.  :)  I finished off this much worried about class with an A!  I was excited and so thankful.  I did a lot of traveling during this class that caused me some concern but my teacher was so helpful and I was able to stay on track with assignments and such. 

On Monday I will be starting my next online class which is Christ in the Old Testament and another experience based class Strategic Thinking.  I am really looking forward to both classes and pray that I am able to handle both with ease.  I do have to say that Christ in the OT isn't as overwhelming as my other classes have been I think that coming off of a grad level class and moving into an undergrad class is helping me with my confidence to be able to tackle it.  I hope I do good still and will work as hard as ever.  :)  At this stage it looks as though I will be finishing up with both degrees May 2015. 

Now on to life in general.  This is a hard one because between camp and classes there isn't much time for anything else.  I was able to make a trip home back in August which was really fun.  I little difficult with online classes already going but it worked out just fine.  In September I went on an Emmaus Walk at the end of the month which was a life changing experience.  I was really challenged to look at myself and if there were changes that needed to be made.  Since returning home the Lord has been working in my life in a way I never would have allowed before.  It is always hard experiencing change but it is always a good thing. 

At the first of October my niece Rachel and nephew Luke accepted the Lord as their Saviour and was baptized.   I am so thankful concerning their decision.  I wish I could have gone to their baptism but I wasn't able to.  I also went to see the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions which a lot of fun.  It wasn't what I expected but still wonderful.  I had a good weekend with my family even though it was a quick trip.  I left Saturday night and got home late Monday night (close to midnight).  I think that is the quickest trip I have ever made.  Other than that I am just trying to catch up on life this week.  I have been working on addressing Christmas cards, getting pictures in them, and will be writing a Christmas letter soon.  I know it is early for Christmas but once classes start it will be busy until December 21st when they end.  This is the best time to work on them.  I am close to completing my Christmas shopping and it will feel good when that is complete.  I try to have it all done by Thanksgiving so that I can take my Christmas to my family then instead of mailing it.  With that being said the current plan is to remain home at Sacramento for Christmas again.  I hope I get snow for Christmas like last year!  :) 

Well I don't know much else I just wanted to catch yall up on life and let you know I am still kicking and doing great.  I pray that this update finds everyone abiding in the Lord and doing wonderful. 

Introduction to the Old Testament - Week 4

It is a good feeling to have completed this week! This class has seemed a bit harder then my last class and has challenged me more then I thought it would. Thankfully my grades haven't suffered in the challenges yet but I just keep praying for wisdom. I have learned that I need to spend more time in the OT and not just reading it but actually studying it in deeper ways. :) I am enjoying the class even with the challenges though but it sure will feel great to have this one completed.

Week 4 Summary:

As I worked on our assignment this week I saw through all the kings in both Israel and in Judah that there is a decision to make. We can choose to walk in the ways of the Lord or to live in disobedience. The Lord will reward those who walk in the ways of God and there are consequences to not walking in His ways. We saw that both Israel and Judah were taken captive due to disobedience and the same is possible for us today spiritually speaking. If we chose to disobey there are consequences that can lead to captivity but if we walk right in the sight of the Lord then He will be with us and prosper us. As I continue to walk in service to the Lord my prayer is that I would commit to follow the commands of God and to live a life that honors the Lord. I desire to do what is right in His eyes and in His eyes alone.

God has been teaching me so much through this experience and I am really looking forward to my summer class which is an experienced base class. It will be quite different from what I am doing online because my classroom will be camp. The class I am taking is Developing Dynamic Teams and it is going to be my first grad class. I am excited but nervous too. :)

Introduction to the Old Testament - Week 3

It is hard to believe that Week 3 is already complete in my online class. After this next week we will be halfway done. Wow! Time goes by too fast sometimes. It is getting time for me to begin the research on my paper that is due at the end of the class (it is sorta like our final since it counts as a third of our grade and a summary of what we have learned in class).

This class seems to be harder then my last class (Introduction to the New Testament). I think that there is just a lot of information being covered in one week compared to my last class. God has been good though and has helped me to understand the information. My class has already started out really well and actually better then my last class as far as grades go even with it seeming harder.

Week 3 Summary:

There has been so much about this week that has been such a learning experience for me. In our discussion time it was wonderful looking deeper into the need of having Christian mentors and being willing to mentor the next generation. The assignment questions were very thought provoking and I appreciated looking at the life of Samuel, the prayer of his mother, and the willingness to give her son to the Lord after being barren. It was also interesting looking at how Saul and David were chosen as kings over Israel and why they were chosen. As I finish up this week my desire is to be a woman after God’s heart, to look at the heart of man verses the physical appearance, and to make it a point to pass down to the next generation the things of God so that they won’t forget who He is and the mighty works He has done to reveal Himself to us.

Introduction to the Old Testament - Week 2

I am a bit behind seeing that I have just finished up with Week 3 so tonight I am catching up my blog. :)

Week 2 was met with a few challenges. The website for my online class was down 3 days longer than anticipated so Week 2 & 3 overlapped some. I am thankful the new website is up and running and we are back on schedule.

Week 2 Summary:

This week I was encouraged by our discussion on Deuteronomy 6 concerning passing on to the next generation what the Lord has done for us. God has brought me so far in my journey with Him just as He had with the Israelites and as I work with young adults, teenagers, and children I hope to pass on to them the things the Lord has taught me. I was encouraged by one of my classmates to remember Him always whether in times of trial or in times of ease. I pray that as I will always keep before me God’s word and make the most of each opportunity to pass on the things of God to the next generation.

Introduction to the Old Testament - Week 1

Classes have started up and all is going great so far! I finished off the week with a 100% on both my discussion time and on my assignment so that was really exciting for me. :) My goal is to get all 100's on my discussion time, at least two 100's on my assignments (which will improve on last session), and get into the mid 90's with my paper. I am really excited about this class. It feels good to be excited because my last class I was very nervous. This week was a pretty easy start since we did personal introductions and short biographies about ourselves to help with getting to know each other. As the class progresses it appears it will get a little harder but it was a great week.

Here is my summary for the week:

This week I really enjoyed getting to know my classmates and seeing through their biographies how the Lord has worked in big ways in their lives. I am always standing in awe of God and how He accomplishes His will in so many different ways and can use each of us as we are willing to be used by Him. I have been so encouraged this week in getting to know each other and by our assignment in how God used each person in special ways according to His will. As I walk through life I want to make the most of each opportunity because God can use anyone He chooses to accomplish His will through.

I want to thank everyone for your prayers and encouragement through this process. It was a scary decision for me to go back to school and it feels good to know I have support out there. I am loving this decision and enjoying every minute of it! :)

Spring Break 2012

I can honestly say that I never would have imagined spring break relating to me ever again after graduating from Pasco High School but this year it did.

This year I loaded up my car with my stuff and my pups and we headed to Snyder for a few days. It was a lot of fun seeing family and friends while I was there. I think I slept the first full day I was there. The weather turned cold, windy, and rainy (I guess I had brought it with me) and I ended up staying out at Grandma's most of the day. With the time being an hour ahead of New Mexico my alarm is set every night so that I don't accidentally sleep till 10 or 11 am. So I got up, cleaned up, ate breakfast, and then had a nap. I woke up had lunch and had a nap. Then my Dad called and gave me the plan for when they would be done with dialysis, and then took another nap. Then my Dad called and said they would be ready by the time I got there and that Mom wanted to eat when she was finished at Colorado City (sometimes she is pretty weak after her treatments) so I officially got up and went to meet them at the clinic and went to have supper with them. When I got home my Grandma and I watched a bit of television and then at about 10pm guess what I went to bed! I couldn't not believe how tired I was when I didn't have to do a reading assignment, discussion question, or an assignment. It felt great to sleep and sleep some more though I felt like I lost my entire day and I had.

You should check out my sister's blog. If you look on my blog list click on "The Stansell Family" she posted about my time at her house and posted some pictures. I didn't get any pictures this go around. My Grandma made the day trip with me to Midland and we had a lot of fun. I went to see my nephew Luke play soccer but his game was canceled because of the weather. Instead we just visited and made St. Patrick's Day cupcakes! After they had cooled off we decorated them and each had one. It was a lot of fun.

This was a great spring break for me and it was a nice break from classes. I did start my reading assignment during spring break to get ahead a bit though. Classes have started back up and are going great. I am really looking forward to another great session. I am already working on what class I will be taking in the summer. I am hoping this will work out good because summers are very busy for us and I am hoping to take at least one class every summer to help the progress of classes. As of right now once this class is over I will be finishing up in 4 years if I remain on this pace of only one class per session (2 classes in the fall semester, 2 classes in the spring semester, and 1 class in the summer). This would be a great time frame for me and a realistic goal for completion. I hope everyone had a wonderful spring break too! :)

Things I Have Learned: Intro. to the New Testament, Week 8

Wow I can't believe that this is the last summary I will be posting for Intro to the New Testament. It feels good to have this class complete. I am feeling good and so excited for the rest of my classes.

Here is my week 8 summary:

I really enjoyed this week of study and more particularly I enjoyed our assignment. I was reminded of the emphasis that John puts into his letters concerning love and what that means. As I leave this week the Lord convicted me to be willing to lay down my life for those around me and that perfect love casts out fear. I had been struggling with making a decision to help my Mom get off of kidney dialysis by donating a kidney to her. This week the Lord showed me that if this is His will then He will provide if the day comes that I may need a kidney myself. Though I don’t know if I will qualify or not the lesson I am taking away from this is to be willing to lay it all down and trust Him with the outcome. I hope that this works out for my Mom’s sake though and I believe that this will be a wonderful lesson to take hold of as summer is approaching and our camp starts to pick up. There are a lot of kids out there that need to experience the love of Christ.

I can’t believe that these 8 weeks are coming to a close. Thank you all for the encouragement I have received from yall. You have been a huge blessing in my life. I hope to see everyone again sometime down the road as I continue my studies and may the Lord bless each of you as you continue in your studies. :)

I am really excited for my next class which is Intro to the Old Testament. I will be starting it on March 12th.

After figuring things out I found that if I go light for the rest of my classes doing 1 per session I will finish in about 4 1/2 years (5 classes a year) and if I want to push things then I will finish in 3 1/2 years (7 classes a year). For now I am planning the lighter route but I may change my mind. I am really excited about this journey though. I hope everyone is doing well. Take care and may the Lord bless you always.

Things I Have Learned: Intro. to the New Testament, Week 7

Sorry I missed posting this summary last week. There was a lot happening between groups at camp, Critical Reflection Paper being due, Assignment being due, and getting sick to top it all off which sadly I probably caused by worrying about the heavy week of school. I am better and doing good now after a lot of sleep and getting the week completed.

Here is my summary from Week 7:

This week has been so encouraging and challenging for me in some respect. I was very encouraged by my time in Hebrews 11. I learned so much from the people of past and how they endured hardships, obeyed God, looked to the final reward of God (even though it was invisible to them), made the way of God a priority in their lives, and God was faithful to reward them because of the way they walked by faith. I pray that as I continue in my walk with the Lord that I would walk out the things that He places in my path by faith. Trusting Him and the promises He has for me.

May the bless you always!

Things I Have Learned: Intro. to the New Testament, Week 6

Wow this week has flown by! I don't know how the week went away so fast. :) This week we were discussing Romans 14 and how to handle differences among fellow believers. It was amazing all the different topics that surfaced this week. :)

Week 6 Summary:

As I finish up this week I have learned that I will often come across fellow believers who will share in different convictions than I do. It isn’t for me to judge my brother/sister in Christ but instead to love them and live in a way that doesn’t cause them to stumble. Not all of us are in the same phase in our walk with Christ, some are stronger then others and I believe we should meet people for where they are and help them grow in their relationship with the Lord. I pray that I would always be aware of the convictions of those around me and that I would respect them and live in a way that builds them up instead of causing them to fall.

Please keep me in your prayers this week because I have my normal discussion time during the week and assignment but I also have my paper due which is worth 1/3 of my grade! I have been trying to finish the reading assignment for it and I should be finished tomorrow and my goal is to write my paper on Monday (when I am off) so that I have a week to check grammar and make sure the paper makes sense. Then I can focus the rest of the week on my discussion time and weekly assignment. The other 2/3 of my grade is the discussion time and weekly assignments. So far I have an A but this paper can sure change things. I really want to do a great job so please pray that I will meet my goals and do well on my paper. I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Valentine's Package

My sister Alanna and her family sent me this wonderful Valentine's wreath. There were 4 cookies though one is missing from the picture. :) The kids are into Angry Birds (that is the Valentine's Card). I sure did have a great Valentine's Day! Thanks Chris, Alanna, Rachel, Luke, Kate, and Wade! I really enjoyed my package :)

Things I Have Learned: Intro. to the New Testament, Week 5

This was a wonderful week though a bit challenging since I was on a trip for camp. I had a great week of school, time with the people I serve with at camp, and meeting new people in camping. :)

Week 5 Summary:

This week I learned a lot about conflict and what we could learn from Acts 15 about dealing with conflict. It was interesting that while working on the discussion time I had shared that I needed to work on confronting conflicts instead of shying away from them and then the next day I was presented with a conflict. I desired to put the things I was learning into practice right at that moment and I found that the conflict I faced this week was dealt with quickly and without a lot of drama involved. I think it is so neat how God knows what we will be going through before we go through it and prepares us for those situations ahead of time so we can handle it in a healthy and godly manner instead of in a sinful way. This was an encouraging and challenging week for me and I was thankful for the focus we put towards Acts 15.

I tried to get started on my paper but was only able to get my assignment finished. I still have till Week 7 so it will be alright. I hope that yall have a wonderful week!

2012 CCCA Rocky Mountain Sectional

Last week I went to Colorado to Crooked Creek Ranch just outside of Fraser, CO for a Christian Camping Conference Association (CCCA) Sectional. The drive was a 13 hour drive! We arrived a day early and some of us decided to go shopping between breakfast and lunch in Winter Park. My friend Heather and I found a moose statue close to where we were shopping and I got a picture. I almost jumped on it's back but decided that wouldn't be a good idea. :)


Our sectional was at Crooked Creek Ranch and the camp was absolutely beautiful! There was a lot of detail in the structures, decorations, and service. It was more of a retreat center then a camp. :) Camps from all over the Rocky Mountain area come to the conference. It is a great opportunity to meet people who work in camping also. We attend different seminars, go to a vendor show, have worship, meal times, sleep time, free time, movie time, tours, and an auction (to help raise money towards scholarships for people who may not be able to afford it to come to the conference).

This year was a bit more challenging for me compared to last year with working on class work. There were a few times that I decided to work on school rather than participate in the fun things (movie time, free time, etc...).

This is where I spent my class time since this was a hot spot for Internet

Where I ate

Where I slept

View from the window where I slept

We left for Colorado on Monday morning early so I took Wreckless and Daisy to the vet on Sunday (where I boarded them). The guy meeting me wanted to meet me early that day so I had a quiet Sunday without them. Thursday we drove home from Colorado and after talking with the vet's office I decided to pick them up Thursday night after we got back. My camp director was nice and said that he didn't mind stopping on the way home at the vet to pick them up. Nikki (she works for the vet) told me that they were really missing me and Wreckless and Daisy both quit eating and drinking. This is normal for Daisy but it was really odd that Wreckless wasn't eating and drinking. Nikki was kind to come in after hours so I could pick up the pups but she didn't have a car so Bill was kind to drive to her house to get her and take her back home. :) We had a very sweet reunion. Wreckless decided once he saw me that it was time to start drinking and he found some really yummy water in the restroom (for those of you who may not know Wreckless gets car sick but he did have his medicine but still we weren't in my car, plus you can only guess what he wanted to do right after he finished with his long drink). :) They were very happy to get home and instantly claimed their spots. Daisy started eating within 24 hours but Wreckless didn't eat dog food until Monday night. All he would eat is dog treats. I was relieved when he finally started eating again. After Nikki and I talked we think that part of Wreckless' problem was that the last time he stayed with them overnight was when we had our fire back in the summer. As he stays more and more with them he should settle down and act normal (whatever that is for Wreckless). Wreckless did escape one time from his kennel they said but thankfully the blinds were still there. They found him a more secure kennel after that. :)

Things I Have Learned: Intro. to the New Testament, Week 4

Wow I am halfway through my first class! This week we have spent time in Galatians and James. Our discussion time was spent looking at Faith and Work concerning salvation. Our teacher played "devil's advocate" to challenge us to think beyond our "church learning" answers. :) He wanted us to dig deeper into God's word so that we could give a defense of our beliefs concerning faith, works, and salvation. This was a very enlightening week for me.

Week 4: Summary
This week was met with some wrestling with God concerning faith and works. This subject is so important because of the value it brings concerning eternity. I learned that faith brings salvation and that works is the product of perfect faith. Just as Abraham lived by faith so are we to live by faith. There are many examples of godly men and women in Hebrews 11 that set beautiful examples for us to follow. As I finish up the journey I am on in this lifetime I pray that I will live in faith being a doer of the word and not just a hearer of the word (James 1:22-25).

As I head into Week 5 please keep me in your prayers. I am heading out of town Monday morning at 530am with camp to a CCCA Sectional Conference in Colorado and will getting back on Thursday around 8pm. This is the time frame that we work on our discussion time with class so pray that the internet there will work beautifully. :) Pray that during both 12 hour drives that I will be able to remain focused and not get too distracted by conversations around me. We are going to have a full van so with all the ladies that will be in there I am sure we will have some fun discussions. :) I also need to begin work on my Critical Thinking Paper that is due at the end of Week 7. It is a 5 page paper and I have some reading and research to do to get ready to write the paper and then checking for grammer/spelling problems etc... This is going to be a big part of our grade too.

Thank you all for the love and support I have received from you and for your prayers. This first class is going smoothly so far and I am loving it! I hope all of you have a great week. Take care

It's My Birthday and I'll Bark if I Want To!

Today is Wreckless' 5th Birthday! I can not believe that he has grown so much. I got together some pictures of my little blessing in disguise and as you can see he is very entertaining and always looking for a good time. :) Him and I do have one thing in common for sure we both love our sleep and my bed. :) Hope you enjoy going down memory lane with me.

2007

This is the day I got him

He is helping me make the bed and boy is he a lot of help :)


2008

He is deciding if it is time for him to wake up or not

I can't believe how skinny and awkward he once was

2009

At Ceta Canyon he loved his swimming pool every year

2010

2011

He loves the wood pile in my backyard here in Sacramento

After we moved to Sacramento Wreckless hurt one of his toes so I fixed him up

2012

Helping me with my online class

Happy Birthday Wreckless! :)

Things I Have Learned: Intro. to the New Testament, Week 3

This week has been so amazing! We have been looking at Acts 1:4-8 in our discussion time and what the significance of power, prophecy, and evangelism was. I learned a lot from our discussion board that our class participates in and I leave this week intrigued, encouraged, and challenged! I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit and the power that the Spirit provides for us. God is so amazing! :) Here is my weekly summary:

It was interesting to study about power, prophecy, and evangelism. I learned about how the disciples were to wait on the Spirit before going out to witness. I was challenged by the definition of witnesses and desire to follow Christ in boldness not worrying about suffering for His kingdom. I desire to keep before me the coming of the Lord and to live like it will happen at any hour. I was encouraged in that the Lord has a plan and a purpose for each of us and that He has so many disciples out there proclaiming His Word. As I walk out the plans the Lord has for me here in NM I am going to keep all my brothers and sisters in Christ in my prayers from those who I serve with here at camp to those who are in foreign countries. We serve such a big God and all I can do is stand in awe of Him.

I am loving the college life! I never really liked school growing up and now that I have had some time away I have found I love it. I love the fact that I am able to study things that interest me and I have a real desire to do great and make the most of each class. I sit back and wonder what I could have done in High School if I just would have applied myself and had the same desire. I feel so much joy when I study God's Word. I feel alive!

Things I Have Learned: Intro. to the New Testament, Week 2

Wow this was a week full of information. Our discussion time was interesting as we looked at the kingdom of God/heaven. We were challenged to define it according to the book of Matthew. I learned so much through the discussions that my classmates and I had though it was a challenge to define it.

The assignment for this week was a very loaded assignment that took more time then I had anticipated but it worked out just fine and I was challenged by the things I learned in the assignment.

I wanted to continue to share the summaries with you that we are asked to do at the end of the week. Here is Week 2 Summary:

As I reflect over what I have learned this week I am overwhelmed by what the Lord has shown me. I learned so much by discussing the kingdom of God/heaven with the class. Though defining it isn’t an easy thing to do the Lord showed me that the kingdom is for those willing to humble themselves as children (Matt. 18:4). I have much to learn and I trust the Lord to reveal the mysteries in His Word as He sees fit.
In our assignment I was challenged by the 5th question concerning responsibility for others. I always desire to serve the Lord but I want to continually grow in ministering to those in need. Working in camp ministry there are so many walks of life that come my way and I desire to love like Christ and follow His example.

I pray that everyone has had a wonderful week. I found myself this week more tired then last week but I am really enjoying class. Please pray for me that I would have the wisdom and discernment needed as I continue with this class. I really need to get started soon on my critical thinking paper which is a big part of our grade and is due at the end of Week 7. The topic is very thought provoking. Well I guess it is now time to get started on my Week 3 reading assignment so I will have it done by Tuesday. Have a wonderful week everyone! :)

Things I Have Learned: Intro. to the New Testament, Week 1

This first week of online classes has been wonderful! We looked at the intertestamental period which is the 400 years that took place between the Old and the New Testaments. This is a period of time that I never really understood and had minimally looked at. At the end of each week we have to submit a 75+ word summary about what we have learned and I wanted to share these summaries with you (this is an 8 week course). I hope everyone has had a wonderful week!

Week 1 Summary:

A few of the things I’ve learned from the intertestamental period is how important the translation of the Torah to Greek was, not only for the people of Israel but for all because Greek had become the common language among many. It opened up the Scriptures to a vast variety of people instead of just a select few of one nation. It was interesting to see the changes that took place through the changes of empire leadership. It was a hard time in history for the Jews but it was a time used by God to prepare them for things to come which He does in our own personal lives. I was convicted about the influence that the Jewish leaders had such an impact on how the Messiah was received by the people and how their teachings had misguided the way the Jews imagined the King.
As press forward in my walk with the Lord something that the Lord revealed to me is to be aware and precede forward studying His Word so I will know the signs of the times. To trust the Lord with the joys, hardships, strongholds, etc… that comes my way that it is a stepping stone for what is next to come. While I serve in camp ministry to encourage the campers/guests that cross my path who share their stories with me, that the Lord may be preparing them for the next step in life which could be the return of the Messiah.

Online Class Officially Begins

My Online Class has officially started! All this for one question. The first pile is one of my class books, my Bible, and my binder with the second reading assignment that I had. :)

My pups have their own study spots. LOL!

Wreckless hangs out under the table and Daisy hangs out in the chair next to the table. :)

A New Journey Begins!

My Christmas Card/Picture table has been cleaned off and transitioned to...

A study table! :)

The journey has officially started!

For those of you who don't know I have decided to go to College. Over the last year I have had a yearning to go back to school and get a degree in camping. In September I was on the Internet and decided to google "Camp Ministry Degree" and it pulled up a school located in Pennsylvania, Baptist Bible College & Seminary. I started looking at the website and researching about the undergrad that they had in Camp Ministry. It looked like an interesting program so I emailed the person in charge to find out more about it, what it would take for me to get the degree and if I could remain here in Sacramento because it required a 1 year internship at a camp. I will be honest I have been very hesitant about going to college because of all the basic classes so I wasn't sure if I was going to decide to go back. He emailed me immediately and gave me his phone number and asked if I would call him because he had questions for me before he could give me the best answer possible. I visited with him and after he researched all the hours I had for EMT classes, Fire Fighting classes, and Challenge Course Certs he found that I was short 6 credit hours from qualifying for an accelerated grad program that they had set up for adults who are already settled into a career, want to better themselves in their career, and it isn't the best thing for them to relocate. We also found out that while working towards my grad degree that I would easily be able to get my undergrad at the same time. So in approximately 3-4 years I will be finished with school and have and Undergrad in Camp Ministry and a Grad in Organizational Leadership (both degrees are camp ministry degrees too). I was so excited and from there I started the application process and my first class starts on January 9th. We have been encouraged to start as soon as possible on our reading assignments because our first discussion starts on the 10th and it is based off of our reading assignments (after looking at the reading assignments there is a lot of reading to do). So tonight (January 4th) I have been printing out some online reading that we have and I am praying that the book I am waiting for in the mail will be here tomorrow. I ordered it about a week ago and it was shipped out the next day but with the holidays and post offices being closed it is running a bit behind.

This first semester my advisor said it would be a good idea to take care of the 6 credit hours (2 online classes) so I can get into the accelerated grad program. And to take light courses to get use to the online class system in place and get an idea of how the Experience Base classes will go too. So this semester I am getting my feet wet by taking 2 online classes and 2 experience based classes and then I am going to take off and do as much as I can starting in the fall. :)

Please pray for me as you think of me. This is a real challenge for me and school doesn't come naturally for me. I have to work really hard at things like this. Plus I will also be holding onto a normal work schedule too. Pray that the Lord will provide the wisdom needed and that I would grow in my relationship with Him in this process. Currently the class I am in is Intro to the New Testament and it will last 8 weeks. Starting March 12th I be taking Intro to the Old Testament which will be 8 weeks too I believe. I am also going to be taking 2 Experience Base classes this semester. I am waiting to hear back from my advisor to see if these are the best ones for me to take but I have put in to do 2 Programming classes: Learning Act Games & Events, and Ropes Course Skills and Certification.

Thank you for your prayers and support! We will be doing summaries each week to share what we are learning in my online class so I may post summaries at the end of each week on what I am learning during this entire journey. :)

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."
Jer 29:11-13 (ESV)

PS: I guess a new staple for Christmas'/Birthday's (besides long underwear) is going to be printer paper (I just printed approx. 50 pages of reading material and the class hasn't even started yet). LOL!