Boredom Settling in Already....Not a Good Thing!
Yes, I am getting a little bored already. I'm a social creature. I thrive when I'm around people and tend to shrivel when I'm not. I think I am going to be doing a lot of Shrivling up in the next few weeks. However, God is teaching my that quiet time and full body relaxation are not bad things and are in fact very essential for people. I just have a hard time making myself relax for more than 30 minutes. I feel like i need to be out and about, but that's just not true for the next little while. I just realised that i really should not be complaining. Some people are not as fortunate as some of us are to be able to relax like we can.
Anyways, I do get company for 4 days the first week of january so that should be alright. Its just keeping myself occupied until then that will be tricky. I have a feeling i will be forcing myself to be creative. this could get interesting folks!
Merry Christmas to all!
Friends, Christmas and the Plane Left Without Me Today
It is a really wierd feeling sitting here in the IT suite today when today is the day that i was suppose to be going home. I would have left for the airport less than an hour ago. It's just one of those strange feelings. I am so glad that i didn't have to say goodbye to people today, but sad that i don't get to see my family. Despite not being with family for Christmas, I am really looking forward to being able to spend that time with God.
On thursday night, 8 of us had our own Christmas and it was a lot of fun, but also a blessing to me. We all care for each other and it was nice to show that appreciation to people (yes, through gifts). It was great to see people's reactions to the gifts that they were given (especially 24's to the grill i gave them, Henry's hat from James, and James' remote control car from 24). It was great to be able to laugh with people and even at people (Miriam and her shrek mask and hands). It feels like i've known these people for years as opposed to 12 weeks.
Tomorrow evening is the first carols by candlelight serivice at church. Many of us have sore and scratchy throats so please pray that our voices and those who are playing instruments remain healthy. I'm really looking forward to the day as a whole tomorrow; church in the morning, lunch with Lou, the family christmas carol service, then carols by candlelight and then i think the plan is to go out somewhere after the evening service one last time before people leave for the holidays.
Have a great weekend people!
C.U. Prayer Night
After what was one of the most stressful weeks i can ever recollect having, the university carol service did indeed go much better than i thought it would. The mince pies could have not shown up, but otherwise it was good. We then took Mareike out for birthday drinks and it was the first time in weeks that a big group of us were all able to get together outside of anything university or church related-it was great.
Yesterday, i met up with my sister Alissa's best friend Natasha and her family in London for the majority of the day. It was so good to see that i know from before i came over here. My mom sent me a surprise along as well....homemade baking! I opened up the package and i cried when i saw it. I had been telling her the day before that all i really wanted was some homemade christmas baking and all along she had sent some with people for me! I didn't keep it all for myself...i did share with people.
Yesterday was also the all night Christian Union prayer night. To put it simply, it was amazing. The setting which we set up the chaplaincy to be like yesterday was really condusive to an intimate time between God and individual. The hours went by so fast. We followed the Lord's Prayer and a guide line and the prayer was put into sections and at each section there was a list of activities and thoughts to think and pray through. There was also an art station and music and books station. It really was great and the presence of God was really strong.
I have two more papers due on Tuesday and then i'm done until after the break. I am really looking forward to getting through this next week. It should also be a good time of several christmas socials within cu small groups and cu prayer lunch stuff.
Thank you to all the people who have listened to me and have tried to put some calm, orderliness and sanity back into my life in the last week. I appreciate you all. To the people at home, thanks for the never ending support and encouragement. I miss you all so much.
Blessings!
Boy Hugs
I had a really rough day today because my presentation went bust...and i do mean that it went badly! Anyways, I walked into the chaplaincy around 5:50 and i dropped my bag in disgust and a guy friend of mine takes one look in my direction and just holds out his arms for me to come and get a hug. It was great because it was just one of those things i needed at the time and the great thing about it was that it wasn't romantic at all! It was simply just a friend giving someone some encouragement and i'm greatful for it.
Christian Union small groups was good tonight and it challenged me on some key issues. James said some things tonight that i've been dealing with a lot lately. It's funny how God has a way of showing/telling you things you need to hear at exactly the right moment....yes God, i am continually learning to give my desires up to you and not trying to make them come true on my own. thank you for reminding me of that tonight.
Two more days left until the University Carol Service....I'm praying that it goes well and that God will use us in ways we hadn't expected. I am trying to keep an open mind about the mince pies, but the one i have tasted in recent weeks was manky and my open is anything but open right now. Anyways, i am looking forward to the mulled wine.
Hope you people in Canada are not too cold right now and are not completely burried in snow...because i've heard that you are! I have to rub it in and say that we BBQed on Saturday and it was fantastic!
Love you all :)
Stress
Yes, I am stressed out right now. I don't think I have ever been more stressed out in university related things than I have at this point. Before i go ranting, the weekend was exhausting, but great. The 24hour movie marathon was a lot of fun. Henry and James really did a good job of organising everything. I think I only slept through 1 movie and that was the original of the Italian Job. Church yesterday was good as well. The movie last night was Finding Nemo and the speaker related it back to some really basic Biblical truths...it was refreshing. Today however it was back to work with the Queens of Bling. It's frustrating to say the least and I am having a really hard time keeping my temper with them. They simply have no clue and lack an extreme amount of self confidence when it comes to public speaking. Usually I am so nervous to do a presentation, but I've been so busy trying to get them all caught up on what is going on that I have had no time to be nervous for myself. I also have a paper due tomorrow and a creative project that is due in with the presentation tomorrow. Yikes! I'm also stressed out with christmas practices and not being able to go home for the holidays, but if i get through the next two days alive i will be very happy. Hope everyone's life is a bit more peaceful than mine.
Karen, thank you for making me take the time out to have a cup of tea before i rushed off to my lecture this afternoon. You are completely right in the fact that I would not have been in a very good mental state had i foregone a break...you were a life saver today.
Much love to all!
The Bridal March
People, do not get any ideas from this title, because it doesn't mean anything......too serious! The title comes from something that happened last night. I was invited over to my university chaplain's house for dinner last night. I was walking to his house last evening with him and some how we ended up on the topic of singleness (i still don't know how that happened, but he is married with 5 kids just for people's information at home). We concluded our talk just as we got to the house. Before he walks into the house, he explains to me that the door bell has many different rings and he said he thought it was set to the Canadian Anthem ring. He was more than a little wrong! He rings the bell and the door bell starts to play "Here Comes the Bride"! I was a little mortified, but it was so funny at the same time! I think this would only happen to me and maybe one or two other people...I'm sure you know exactly who you are :) Some people would think that's to be taken as a sign and others like myself for example just take it as a funny coincidence that just had to come at the end of a discussion about singleness...sort of fitting in a odd way!
Today and tomorrow is the 24 hour movie marathon. I'm hoping to make it past 1am because Chicago doesn't start until something like 2:45 and i enjoy that movie. It should be a lot of fun and yes, it is a way of procrastinating from an assignment that is due on Tuesday. However, when you are working with the Queens of Gold Bling on a group assignment, you don't get too much accomplished to begin with. I geuss i should apologise for that comment. They could surprise me by showing up for a second day in a row today and we could end up getting a ton accomplished! Here's to keeping fingers crossed.
