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!