A little over a year ago, December 11th, 2007 to be exact, was the victim of some random kindess. I was reminded of this story today, and while it is not a huge and eventful story, it is one that I hold dear in my heart.
It was Tuesday. On Monday we were told that our finals were canceled due to having no power at the school and we could go home. So we spent the night in Joplin on Monday, as we found out too late to travel back that night. Tuesday we went back to the dorms and packed our things. Tyler and I were going to travel together since the roads were a little sketchy because of the ice storm. I was in a bit of a bind. My bank card had not been working, and I talked to my mom and hers hadn't either-we assumed because of the storm... And I had about 8 dollars in quarters. I knew I would have to have 3.50 for the toll road home, I usually liked to travel with a drink, and I still needed some gas. I probably had enough to make it home, but I couldn't risk it. Luckily, I received a gift card to Starbucks on Sunday night for helping with Children's Choir at church...so I headed to Starbucks so I could have a drink, but also to charge my phone which was dying. I heard they had power strips out because of the power outages. So I got to Starbucks..sure enough there were about a billion people there...with laptops and phones charging. I found a place to sit and charge until Tyler was ready.
I had my phone plugged in but wanted to check in with my mom. So I called her and explained where I was and how my bank card wasn't working still and I only had 8 dollars to get some (expensive) gas, plus pay for the toll. At this point I was just not comfortable driving home with my three dollars and fifty cents in quarters and very little gas..I knew I could ask Tyler for money if necessary but I didn't want to do that.
So I hung up the phone and just waited for Tyler's call to say we could leave. I was slightly crying and just not knowing what to do really when this couple got my attention. They struck up a conversation asking if I was without power and I explained that I am a student at Ozark and we hadn't had power since Sunday morning, so they canceled finals and we could go home. Then they said something like this "Well, we overheard your conversation. We hate to see you struggling like this, so we would just like to help you out in this time." After this, they handed me $20 and went on their way.
I always assumed that in times when people would just offer money that I would politely reject it. But in this moment I had no other option but to be grateful and take it. As soon as I took it I headed to the gas station, put some gas in, and then kept $10 for the road so I could travel comfortably with some cash as well.
I didn't get a name, number, or address. I don't even remember what the couple looks like, not even a general age. I wish so badly to be able to write them a letter and tell them that even a year later, I get tears in my eyes when I think of the kindness of two strangers. They really didn't have to do that. But words can't say how much that act of kindness means to me.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
One Year
Yesterday was a big day for me! Tyler and I celebrated being together for a year. For the two of us this was a big deal. First of all, neither of us have been with another person for this long. Second, with the history that Tyler and I have, making it this far is huge for us.
I was thankful that we had a decent time to celebrate considering it's finals week and it seems we have been too busy to really go out lately. Let's see. Let's recap our very first date.
December 8th, 2007. Tyler and I had our first date the day before the big ice storm of 2007. He asked me out on Friday night after hanging out for a little bit. For dinner, Tyler took me to Olive Garden. No special reason why..but I do love Italian! After we had dinner we went to Carthage Missouri to look at this cool light set up. It is at a Korean type place...Korean Martyrs maybe? Anyway, they have this light set up that goes through the major stories of the bible. It is a very cool thing. I really wanted to go since I heard about it, so he took me. Then we got lost on our way back to Joplin, ended up in Carterville somehow...but found our way to Webb City. We went straight to Starbucks and had some hot chocolate/hot drinks. We made our way to Ewert Park off 7th and Murphy. Here we just enjoyed our drinks and talked for awhile. This is where Tyler asked me to be his girlfriend. Oh the memories. Of course I said yes. After that, a cop came to tell us the parks close at 11. This was the very first time a cop visited us at a park...and it wasn't the last. That was the end of our date. It was a good one.
December 8th, 2008. Tyler picked me up around 7:30 and we headed to Olive Garden, again. It is my favorite. We reminsced and argued over where our table was for our first date...oh well. Dinner was good as always. We then headed to McAlisters. It has become a tradition on our dates to eat and then get dessert somewhere else. So, we went, and I got "Chocolate Lovin Spoon Cake" because it is only there for a limited time! So we grabbed the McAlisters and then headed to Leonard Park (our new favorite) to exchange gifts and eat my cake. I gave him his first. I made him a small book that had a small poem for each of the past 12 months, and one for this December. I also included little slips of paper he can read each month that have little ideas for dates and things. Then, I got to open his. I was sooo excited to open his gift because I knew there was a lot of trouble around it. (The trouble involved UPS and blah blah blah...too much trouble!) His gift was amazing. It was a small poster that he had framed professionally and done so I am able to hang it on my wall. The poster contained a big number 1 in the center. In the one, he made a collage of pictures so the pictures form the 1. The background is green, and in the background there is a darker color for writing. He had "One year of greatness" at the top. To the left of the one it says "December 8th,2007" and "December 8th, 2008". To the right are lyrics of a Dave Barnes song "There's nothing fancy bout the way I love you". And the bottom says Tyler and Abigail. I love it! It is hanging on my wall now. We talked some more after the presents and then made our way to the movies. He gave me three choices...Twilight, Four Christmases, and Madagascar. We decided Four Christmases was the best choice for a date. It was funny, but just really weird. It was...weird. So yeah. It was a great date! Definitely one to remember.
I am so thankful for the past year and the joy that Tyler has brought to my life. We have both changed in such great ways..and I am excited to see what the next year brings.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Philippians 4:10-20
This is the quietest I have ever heard this floor...I think there might be two other girls still on the floor. Today we all get to leave for our wonderful Thanksgiving break. Most everyone has already taken off to Tulsa for the National Missionary Convention or to their homes...but here I am, waiting.
Something I have realized in the past hour...or really in the past month, is that I love this floor. We have so many freshmen, not a lot of upper classmen...but it's a great mix. Just this past Sunday night we had a floor deocrating party (plus a few surprises along the way). It was a blast. I feel that it was a good moment in my life because I realized that as we came from our opposite ends of the halls, we meshed. It doesn't matter how well I know each girl individually (although I always wish to know some better...), but when we we are together it feels like we have known each other forever. Those are the best kinds of friendships. The same goes for individual relationships I have been able to build on this floor this semester. I couldn't be happier with my living situation. I know what it is like to be in a bad situation, and now a great one... But I know I can make it through both. I am thankful for both situations.
So. The last couple sentences of that paragraph are somewhat...okay, they are identical to verses from my Principles passage. I guess you could say I learned a lot.
Contentment is rough! But I learned so much. In my passage, Paul is writing to the church of Philippi to thank and encourage them. The portion I got to study all semester was about Paul's needs being met, but even more so than that it was about being thankful in all circumstances. Did you know that even when you have plenty, you might not be content? I never really thought about that. I figured that when I have enough and don't "need" anything, I am automatically content but that's not the case...because I still want things. This very moment, I can think of a lot of things I want... even though I have enough. It's really hard to find contentment even when I am amply supplied. More, more, more... that's always what is on the mind. It's not necessarily hard to be thankful, but just hard to be okay without always having more.
It was a great lesson. Studying it for a whole semester, doing 70 pages worth of research, and constantly having this project on mind really embedded what I needed to learn.
Anyway, I am going to continue packing as I continue to wait and get really excited about being home for awhile...hopefully during this time I will find plenty of contentment in being with family and friends, but missing Tyler, and my Dennis 3rd family...(ESPECIALLY Kara and Melissa/Melrose)
Have a lovely, cold day!
Something I have realized in the past hour...or really in the past month, is that I love this floor. We have so many freshmen, not a lot of upper classmen...but it's a great mix. Just this past Sunday night we had a floor deocrating party (plus a few surprises along the way). It was a blast. I feel that it was a good moment in my life because I realized that as we came from our opposite ends of the halls, we meshed. It doesn't matter how well I know each girl individually (although I always wish to know some better...), but when we we are together it feels like we have known each other forever. Those are the best kinds of friendships. The same goes for individual relationships I have been able to build on this floor this semester. I couldn't be happier with my living situation. I know what it is like to be in a bad situation, and now a great one... But I know I can make it through both. I am thankful for both situations.
So. The last couple sentences of that paragraph are somewhat...okay, they are identical to verses from my Principles passage. I guess you could say I learned a lot.
Contentment is rough! But I learned so much. In my passage, Paul is writing to the church of Philippi to thank and encourage them. The portion I got to study all semester was about Paul's needs being met, but even more so than that it was about being thankful in all circumstances. Did you know that even when you have plenty, you might not be content? I never really thought about that. I figured that when I have enough and don't "need" anything, I am automatically content but that's not the case...because I still want things. This very moment, I can think of a lot of things I want... even though I have enough. It's really hard to find contentment even when I am amply supplied. More, more, more... that's always what is on the mind. It's not necessarily hard to be thankful, but just hard to be okay without always having more.
It was a great lesson. Studying it for a whole semester, doing 70 pages worth of research, and constantly having this project on mind really embedded what I needed to learn.
Anyway, I am going to continue packing as I continue to wait and get really excited about being home for awhile...hopefully during this time I will find plenty of contentment in being with family and friends, but missing Tyler, and my Dennis 3rd family...(ESPECIALLY Kara and Melissa/Melrose)
Have a lovely, cold day!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Changes
In the past year I have learned more about myself than I ever did before. There are so many things I never thought I would say about myself...but I would now. I think a lot of life-changes changed who I am, unexpected and expected life changes... But the truth of the matter is, I have changed. A lot of people who have known me my whole life wouldn't know or understand the details of who I have become. There is something a little frightening in that. There are people I have always thought of as those who know me best and those people have gone. It's not that they aren't in my life, but too many things have changed. Just as I have changed, I am sure they have too...
I like to plan. I like to have plans, I like to make plans. I like to stay organized. I need my room to stay clean or I cannot be in peace. I really don't like people taking things without asking. I really enjoy privacy and boundaries. I am not outspoken. I tend to do what is best for others and not myself. I don't like to voice my opinion. I dislike speaking in front of people. I don't like to be messed with/I dislike practical jokes. Looking stupid makes me really sad. I don't want to be a teacher. I want to live a big city. I like to be surrounded by people with similar morals. I need lots of encouragement... for me, the lack of encouragement is discouragement. I am becoming a lot more confident in what I want, and I don't mean figuring that out, but voicing it. I am not as good at making friends as I used to be.
And that's only a small list. But I am always happy to know that I am constantly learning and being challenged. The most uncomfortable and frustrating year of my life taught me enough for me to be okay with the bad things. It was good, but I am glad this school year has already been a thousand times better. With a floor of wonderful ladies, including my best friends and a whole group of great freshman, where am I to go wrong? Not to mention a pretty great boyfriend who is always so patient with me in the life lessons I am constantly learning... It's been great so far...and I know there will only be good with the rest of the year.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Goodbye NYC
Another busy week is over! Only two left til I get to be home for about 12 days of fun with the family! I am so looking forward to being home for an extended time. Last time I went home was the longest I have been all semester...but my parents weren't even there for most of it! Sad day... but soon everyone will be there!
My Sunday spent in New York City was the most wonderful day ever! - NOT because of the reasons you all might think...or the reason...no, no no! - It was over all my favorite. The other church we went to besides The River was Brooklyn Tabernacle. It was amazing! It was the most homey church I feel I have ever been to. In a way it reminded me of being home because when I am at home, most everyone I pass says hello to me. That's not a bad thing, just a fact...and I felt like everyone we ever passed greeted us. People were greeting me in the bathroom. It was great! It felt like home.
I was really excited about the choir. I actually hadn't known any thing about an amazing choir until my mom told me, but that got me excited. There were about 150 people...it was made up of all different races too, which was unexpected. It was really cool to see all different people on stage. Another fun aspect was how laid back the service was. During the service the choir sang two songs as specials. There were two more times in the service that the pastor decided he wanted to hear them sing again so they sang one of the two songs again...so basically we heard both songs twice in the sermon, and if you count the rehearsals we saw- we heard each song 3 times. It was wonderful! I took some video but haven't quite figured out how to put that on here...
The rest of Sunday was just fun. We had two more speakers...which included my favorite Resa Storms. After we had our speakers, we quickly left midtown to go downtown. We got off the subway and were able to walk through NYUs campus. That was soo fun. It was cool because we were walking the streets with other college students. It gave a glimpse of what kind of life we might lead had we chosen to go to school there...it was pretty cool. It was a very cool and relaxed part of town. We had dinner at an interesting restaurant. It was called Dojo. Umm..please, ask me what kind of food it had. Yeah..I am not sure. It had Japanese food, pasta, and vegan. WEIRD mix, but it was a pretty cool restaurant. I had a really yummy dish called "Pasta Broadway". It was fettucini noodles with a creamy marinara sauce...very different from normal marinara sauce...very good. It also had two huge pieces of chicken on top. It was marvelous!
After dinner we walked briskly to Stomp. Stomp was awesome! It was hilarious! It is amazing how they never said a single word but I laughed sooo hard! There was one character, guy, person, thing...that they picked on the whole time. But there were also sooo talented! It was great. I would have loved to see a show on broadway, but this was a cool experience as well. Our walks to and from Stomp were really fun. It was a completely different side of the city... It just made me feel like if the cast of Rent lived in Manhattan, they would have lived here. Nathan told us that it is referred to as the "East Village". It was just a little crazy...we saw some interesting things down there that you wouldn't see in Midtown. It was awesome though. I don't think I would love living there...it is a little too off the wall for me, but it was great seeing a completely different side. It was VERY residential...very bohemian, I think...Tyler says "it was homier in a city sort of way. it wasn't intimidating like most of the city." That is a good way of putting it.
So that was fun! Seeing that place was great. After this we decided to head uptown for some final sight seeing. This subway ride involved our group being harrassed by a drunk man...oh dear. That was the city at it's finest =)! So this little problem made us decide to get off at Times Square instead of heading straight up to Central Park. We took a short walk through TS (as it was called most of the trip...) and then headed to Central Park. We could only walk along the outskirt trails of Central Park due to it not being the safest place to be at night...so we took a quick walk (with a quick stop for Tyler and I!) and proceeded to find a bathroom...it is SO hard to find a business to let you use the restroom without paying. So one of the kind gentlemen in our group bought some ice cream bars so the lovely ladies could go to the bathroom...how generous!
Finally, we walked back to TS and walked through one last time and headed back to Brooklyn. It was so sad to have to say goodbye to the city! But it was necessary...because now I am in the lovely, thriving metropolis of Joplin Missouri! Ugh. It gets worse everytime I think about it.
It's been two weeks and I still miss it. Oh please, someone hire me there for something! I will come running!!
Until I feel further inspiration to bless you with my words, have a lovely November weekend...my home of Ozark will be filled with the finest high schoolers of America..oh the fun!
Adios!
My Sunday spent in New York City was the most wonderful day ever! - NOT because of the reasons you all might think...or the reason...no, no no! - It was over all my favorite. The other church we went to besides The River was Brooklyn Tabernacle. It was amazing! It was the most homey church I feel I have ever been to. In a way it reminded me of being home because when I am at home, most everyone I pass says hello to me. That's not a bad thing, just a fact...and I felt like everyone we ever passed greeted us. People were greeting me in the bathroom. It was great! It felt like home.
I was really excited about the choir. I actually hadn't known any thing about an amazing choir until my mom told me, but that got me excited. There were about 150 people...it was made up of all different races too, which was unexpected. It was really cool to see all different people on stage. Another fun aspect was how laid back the service was. During the service the choir sang two songs as specials. There were two more times in the service that the pastor decided he wanted to hear them sing again so they sang one of the two songs again...so basically we heard both songs twice in the sermon, and if you count the rehearsals we saw- we heard each song 3 times. It was wonderful! I took some video but haven't quite figured out how to put that on here...
The rest of Sunday was just fun. We had two more speakers...which included my favorite Resa Storms. After we had our speakers, we quickly left midtown to go downtown. We got off the subway and were able to walk through NYUs campus. That was soo fun. It was cool because we were walking the streets with other college students. It gave a glimpse of what kind of life we might lead had we chosen to go to school there...it was pretty cool. It was a very cool and relaxed part of town. We had dinner at an interesting restaurant. It was called Dojo. Umm..please, ask me what kind of food it had. Yeah..I am not sure. It had Japanese food, pasta, and vegan. WEIRD mix, but it was a pretty cool restaurant. I had a really yummy dish called "Pasta Broadway". It was fettucini noodles with a creamy marinara sauce...very different from normal marinara sauce...very good. It also had two huge pieces of chicken on top. It was marvelous!
After dinner we walked briskly to Stomp. Stomp was awesome! It was hilarious! It is amazing how they never said a single word but I laughed sooo hard! There was one character, guy, person, thing...that they picked on the whole time. But there were also sooo talented! It was great. I would have loved to see a show on broadway, but this was a cool experience as well. Our walks to and from Stomp were really fun. It was a completely different side of the city... It just made me feel like if the cast of Rent lived in Manhattan, they would have lived here. Nathan told us that it is referred to as the "East Village". It was just a little crazy...we saw some interesting things down there that you wouldn't see in Midtown. It was awesome though. I don't think I would love living there...it is a little too off the wall for me, but it was great seeing a completely different side. It was VERY residential...very bohemian, I think...Tyler says "it was homier in a city sort of way. it wasn't intimidating like most of the city." That is a good way of putting it.
So that was fun! Seeing that place was great. After this we decided to head uptown for some final sight seeing. This subway ride involved our group being harrassed by a drunk man...oh dear. That was the city at it's finest =)! So this little problem made us decide to get off at Times Square instead of heading straight up to Central Park. We took a short walk through TS (as it was called most of the trip...) and then headed to Central Park. We could only walk along the outskirt trails of Central Park due to it not being the safest place to be at night...so we took a quick walk (with a quick stop for Tyler and I!) and proceeded to find a bathroom...it is SO hard to find a business to let you use the restroom without paying. So one of the kind gentlemen in our group bought some ice cream bars so the lovely ladies could go to the bathroom...how generous!
Finally, we walked back to TS and walked through one last time and headed back to Brooklyn. It was so sad to have to say goodbye to the city! But it was necessary...because now I am in the lovely, thriving metropolis of Joplin Missouri! Ugh. It gets worse everytime I think about it.
It's been two weeks and I still miss it. Oh please, someone hire me there for something! I will come running!!
Until I feel further inspiration to bless you with my words, have a lovely November weekend...my home of Ozark will be filled with the finest high schoolers of America..oh the fun!
Adios!
Monday, November 3, 2008
No answer??
Oh boy, what an interesting couple of days...from burning poptarts/filling my house with smoke, blowing a tire half way between Joplin-Owasso, and bad news on two different fronts. Sometimes I just feel like I need really good news to help me keep on goin and not dwell on the negative... but I am still waiting for that.
Something I have been thinking about is having all the answers. This is something I do not do well with. I need a plan! Without a plan, I do not know what is going to happen and in my mind that always looks negative. I like to be prepared. I like others to be prepared. I like others to be prompt because I am prompt. But there was a challenge in this area for me while I was in New York City..and we will get there in a minute.
We had about 6 different speakers through the whole weekend. I learned so much from each person. You would not assume to gain so much from each speaker but Dave sure did know how to pick them. Each person had been through so many different leadership situations. I had no idea the great company I would be sitting with. My particular favorite speaker from the weekend was a woman by the name Resa Storms. She and her husband Brent live in the city with their three kids. That's enough to impress me from the beginning! Three small kids in New York City? Hats off to the Storms family.
Resa had the most effective way of speaking for me. She went through each piece of advice along with a story of how she either made that mistake or avoided that mistake. One thing she told us was that we are not always going to have the answers. In a leadership role, people will ask questions all the time and I may not have all the answers. This is such an issue for me!
I am not comfortable without a plan. But life is not about me being comfortable...I mean, I shouldn't be. But I just like to know what to prepare for. I hate being unprepared. I hate feeling pressure. Anyway.
I guess we can't always be prepared...boy have I learned that three times in the past two days...
On the bright side, I have three, possibly four days dedicated to homework. This may sound like a drag but it actually sounds WONDERFUL to me! Getting things done is not common... I need the time.
Have a good day!
Something I have been thinking about is having all the answers. This is something I do not do well with. I need a plan! Without a plan, I do not know what is going to happen and in my mind that always looks negative. I like to be prepared. I like others to be prepared. I like others to be prompt because I am prompt. But there was a challenge in this area for me while I was in New York City..and we will get there in a minute.
We had about 6 different speakers through the whole weekend. I learned so much from each person. You would not assume to gain so much from each speaker but Dave sure did know how to pick them. Each person had been through so many different leadership situations. I had no idea the great company I would be sitting with. My particular favorite speaker from the weekend was a woman by the name Resa Storms. She and her husband Brent live in the city with their three kids. That's enough to impress me from the beginning! Three small kids in New York City? Hats off to the Storms family.
Resa had the most effective way of speaking for me. She went through each piece of advice along with a story of how she either made that mistake or avoided that mistake. One thing she told us was that we are not always going to have the answers. In a leadership role, people will ask questions all the time and I may not have all the answers. This is such an issue for me!
I am not comfortable without a plan. But life is not about me being comfortable...I mean, I shouldn't be. But I just like to know what to prepare for. I hate being unprepared. I hate feeling pressure. Anyway.
I guess we can't always be prepared...boy have I learned that three times in the past two days...
On the bright side, I have three, possibly four days dedicated to homework. This may sound like a drag but it actually sounds WONDERFUL to me! Getting things done is not common... I need the time.
Have a good day!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
the Beginning...
As a result of a late night conversation with my lovely roommate and RA, I have landed on the idea of having a blog. I am in no particular season of life, no kids, no husband, no fiancee, not living in a different country...but I am learning so much about life and who I am...and mostly who I want to be. Thus, the blog.
"Dancing Through Life"...some people may know where this comes from, while others may not. Dancing Through Life is a song in the hit broadway show "Wicked". Wicked is amazing! This particular song was one of my favorites when I saw Wicked in NYC about a year and a half ago. The song is preformed by "Fiyero", who is a laid back - no rules kind of guy. He is convincing all of the others that "dancing through life" instead of stressing and worrying is a better way of life... It is something I need to remind myself daily, as I am an extreme worrier.
I thought I could go ahead and share a little about my most recent adventure. I was able to go to New York City this past weekend to take a class. Our professor lives in the city so we are able to have a very cheap but fulfilling trip to see the different culture that it is. There were about a billion things I took away from the trip, so I will just touch on one of them today.
We went to two churches on the Sunday we spent in the city. Our second church was The River. The River was pretty small. The culture of this group was another experience. There were so many young adult Brits, many asians..it was great. The preacher and starter of the church was from Korea, so that was also another experience. Worship consisted of one man on electric guitar, a woman on keyboard, and another woman singing. No drums, no acoustic, no bass, no nothing! It was great though. The people seemed to be so into it. The whole service and attitude of the place felt so..genuine. It didn't seem just like routine, but something these people thirsted for each week. It was a truly uplifting experience.
Seeing different churches is something I am not good at. I like routine. I like knowing what I am going in to. I was nervous going to these, thinking it would be just a sit and watch experience, but it was not at all. It was a learning experience. It was so good to be out of the routine of College Heights and knowing what is going to happen after the final worship song. It was good to be with people who may not have always had such a great church family always surrounding them. It was really great to be around people who are learning and figuring out how this Christian thing works...especially in the big city.
To see people make the choice to be Christians and be comitted to church when it is not the popular thing or even the normal way of life for New York City residents was inspiring. It is so easy for me here in Joplin. Joplin and the surrounding area is filled with churches, mostly churches led by all of my professors. I take Bible classes every day. I am comitted to serving in the College Heights youth group, I have life group every Thursday at 10, I have chapel every Tuesday at 10, and even when I am home -- it is still easy to make the choice to live the right way. But to see people choosing the right way in a city full of lost people really changed the way I view my life. My life is generally easy as a Christian. I face the challenges of apathy, keeping a good attitude, spending daily time in the word...but I am surrounded by people pushing me to do these things...those people are surrounded by everyone telling them NOT to do those things.
What a great stand they are taking in the city.
"Dancing Through Life"...some people may know where this comes from, while others may not. Dancing Through Life is a song in the hit broadway show "Wicked". Wicked is amazing! This particular song was one of my favorites when I saw Wicked in NYC about a year and a half ago. The song is preformed by "Fiyero", who is a laid back - no rules kind of guy. He is convincing all of the others that "dancing through life" instead of stressing and worrying is a better way of life... It is something I need to remind myself daily, as I am an extreme worrier.
I thought I could go ahead and share a little about my most recent adventure. I was able to go to New York City this past weekend to take a class. Our professor lives in the city so we are able to have a very cheap but fulfilling trip to see the different culture that it is. There were about a billion things I took away from the trip, so I will just touch on one of them today.
We went to two churches on the Sunday we spent in the city. Our second church was The River. The River was pretty small. The culture of this group was another experience. There were so many young adult Brits, many asians..it was great. The preacher and starter of the church was from Korea, so that was also another experience. Worship consisted of one man on electric guitar, a woman on keyboard, and another woman singing. No drums, no acoustic, no bass, no nothing! It was great though. The people seemed to be so into it. The whole service and attitude of the place felt so..genuine. It didn't seem just like routine, but something these people thirsted for each week. It was a truly uplifting experience.
Seeing different churches is something I am not good at. I like routine. I like knowing what I am going in to. I was nervous going to these, thinking it would be just a sit and watch experience, but it was not at all. It was a learning experience. It was so good to be out of the routine of College Heights and knowing what is going to happen after the final worship song. It was good to be with people who may not have always had such a great church family always surrounding them. It was really great to be around people who are learning and figuring out how this Christian thing works...especially in the big city.
To see people make the choice to be Christians and be comitted to church when it is not the popular thing or even the normal way of life for New York City residents was inspiring. It is so easy for me here in Joplin. Joplin and the surrounding area is filled with churches, mostly churches led by all of my professors. I take Bible classes every day. I am comitted to serving in the College Heights youth group, I have life group every Thursday at 10, I have chapel every Tuesday at 10, and even when I am home -- it is still easy to make the choice to live the right way. But to see people choosing the right way in a city full of lost people really changed the way I view my life. My life is generally easy as a Christian. I face the challenges of apathy, keeping a good attitude, spending daily time in the word...but I am surrounded by people pushing me to do these things...those people are surrounded by everyone telling them NOT to do those things.
What a great stand they are taking in the city.
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