The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round
- Posted by under Life at Bethel
- Friday October 30th, 2009
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We just got back from our first basketball trip of the season. We played well and “won” the scrimmage against NCAA D2 St. Joseph’s. Although it was only a scrimmage, it was a really nice break to get to play against someone besides ourselves. We ran the court really well and it was obvious which team was in better shape. Also, us Bethel players learned some new vocabulary from the other team and the officials. I don’t think we’ll use these new words too much though because they are somewhat unbethicle.
Bus trips are always a nice place to get some homework done, but even with four hours, I’m still not quite done. haha. I think I’ll head to bed and do it in the morning.
Last night we had our tip off madness to set the tone for the basketball season. It was a fun time filled with free stuff and comedy. We had an ESPN game day Bethel addition going on while all the students were filing into the gym. Our two announcers were dressed in the best suits Goodwill had to offer. In their unbiased opinion, we are the best team in the nation. Really we are ranked number three in the preseason poll.
After a few interviews, the student dunk contest got underway. The highlight, or maybe the lowlight of the night was when a fellow JV player who’s name we will not mentioned got his turn to dunk. It started off well with a graceful leap into the air. It was all down hill from there. His partner didn’t give him the best “oop” ever and this caused him to get a little off balance. Before I go on I should mention that the rim is only about 7 1/2 feet high. Alright, he is off balance and stuffs himself on the rim, but his momentum carried his face into the pole behind the backboard. The crowd went crazy, but probably not in the way he had imagined it.
I am also proud to report that Oakwood was victorious in the annual mattress race. I was nice to see the new guys make us alumni proud. Also, I would like to mention that my RA last year reminded me of the old Lance Armstrong as he dominated the tricycle race.
All in all it was a great night. We’re going to keep working hard so our season can be just as good.
This past Saturday night a bunch of us from Bethel went over to a friends house for a hayride/camp fire thing. Everything started off great. We spent some time in the barn playing ping pong, but we were all waiting for the main event.
When a few late arrivers finally showed up, we headed out. About 15 of us piled into a trailer filled with straw. Another eight or so piled into the bed of the pick up. As we headed out onto the road I heard a few murmurs about how cold it was. That was not going to be a an issue for long. It all started so innocently with everyone singing a song. I don’t remember what song it was, because I saw the look in a couple of individuals eyes. I’d also heard stories about these hayrides and I began to prepare myself for the worst.
TAKE HIS SHIRT OFF!!! Someone shouted. All at once I was covered in a mass of humanity and had straw being put in every place possible. Woohoo, I got to be lucky number one haha. The only thing is I was sooo itchy the rest of the ride. The thing that kept my mind occupied were the next chorus of songs followed by another person being made to look like the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz.
We all had a blast, and were also itching ourselves like we’d rolled around in some poison ivy when we finally pulled back into the driveway. Although the itchiness is slowly going away, I think the memory of a fun time with friends will continue to last.
I just thought I’d share this song (I Am Redeemer by Jeremy Riddle) with everyone today. This song has been on my heart for the past week. I love it! The verses are so good. The song came on my iPod when I was praying and thinking about some really good friends who I haven’t seen in a while. My heart was burdened for them and then this song came on. God is just so good. He always finds things in my day that make me smile. What a good promise, this is. Be blessed!
If you could know how many times
I’ve watched you weeping
And I’ve wept the same
How I have ached so filled with longing
To gather you up here in my arms
You’re alone, without home and forsaken
But I’ve made a way for you to be Mine
For I, I am, I am Redeemer
Your Maker, your Healer
Your King, who made Himself low
That you would discover
The love of My Father
Made known in Me
For every wound you’ve had to endure
I chose to endure it long before you were born
I’m offering to carry your burdens and pain
Your fear and your worries
Your sins and your shame
And I’m knocking at your door
And I’m waiting
For you to let me on the inside
You can lay your head on My chest
You can feel the warmth of My breath
You will know My love
You will find rest in Me alone, Me alone
I think all college students get to that point where they just can’t study anymore. I my dear friends am hitting that wall at a frighteningly fast speed. I still have 3 more packets of notes to look over for my Deaf Culture test tomorrow. Did I forget to mention that this is the second of only TWO tests for the entire semester? No pressure. ha ha ha I may sound like I’m dying here, but really I’m not very concerned about it. Sure, I’m taking it seriously, but I’m not stressin. No sir!
This is what I have learned this year: Stress is stupid!
All it does is make my back/shoulder muscles tense and causes me to stop relying on God.
I rest my case.
So I figured this would be a nice time to blog. Which, it has been a pleasant experience so far. Just basically typing what I’m thinking right now. Like, why are the girls on my floor so compelled to repeat the same two words over and over again? ha ha ha I don’t know what classes they got out of, but ALL of them are really hyper right now!
Oooh! I know! I went to Cedar Point with Shupe on Saturday. Let me tell you… it was FREEZING!! The first roller coaster we went on? The Millenium Force! Riding in the cold is definitely a different experience than riding in the warm sunshine. I think it kind of intensified my adrenaline rush because I was so stoked before AND after the ride! The second roller coaster was the Mantis. All of us RAs went on the front row. It was kinda rainy so it was like our faces were being pelted with ice ha ha ha It was awesome! After that, I had a turkey leg… sounded good at the time…. now I realize that it was the nastiest thing in the world and I don’t think I can eat meat for a month. Anyway, that was Saturday, and I am just now getting a sore throat from yelling/screaming. *sigh* the great things that happen to you after a day at the amusement park. I’m just glad to be back in my comfy, cozy little dorm room - in one piece : )
I had the best fall break of all time. I drove for 10+ hours to Kansas City, Missouri and visited the international house of prayer. It was exactly what I needed and God really opened my eyes to a lot of things. I also made some great friendships with the other Bethel people that were stuck in a car with me for nearly 24 hours total.
Since being back from break the ministry team had it’s first performance. It went about as smoothly as it could have. I was able to practice leading the team and working out little details with the people in charge of the event. So yeah, that’s a major praise that everything went really well.
Last night was one of the best nights I’ve had with friends in awhile: it started at 6 when I tried to take a friend shopping and half way there noticed I had a flat tire. It made for a fun adventure though so it’s all good 
Then when Tina and I got back from shopping we tried to start cooking for some friends (I love to cook). When we got back however, the kitchen was locked and there was not a single RA in the building so we couldn’t get it unlocked. We decided to put in a movie and have a bunch of people over while we waited for the kitchen to open. There was nearly 10 people all stuffed into my room at Mangus! After the movie everyone went downstairs to the kitchen. I cooked up an original recipe and it was real good. Then we all sat around singing a bunch of old 90’s contemporary Christian music from our childhoods.
Life has had it’s ups and downs, but God is there through it all so I’m loving every bit of it
Dan showing the guys how to do it
boat ride
Well, to start things out, I’d like to say that I’m sitting outside watching Dan try to teach Eric and Mark how to do a back handspring. I’m not sure this is the best idea they’ve had, but at least they dragged some mattresses outside. Anyways, keeping up with everything here has kept me busy, so I’ll take some time to catch up on what I have been doing. Last week I moved out of my host family’s house and we started our travel week. Our group first went to Santo Domingo for a couple nights. It was such a great time, being able to be with our group. I don’t have a roommate here, so it was really nice to spend time with the girls on the trip (speaking English all of the time was nice too). In Santo Domingo we went to museums, Christopher Columbus’ son’s house, a cathedral and THE BEACH!! So we got to learn a lot, but also enjoy the “island life.”
After Santo Domingo…where it was HOT, we went to a resort in the mountains.
This was my favorite part of the week. During the day we used a boat to get around and we went to caves, beaches, and a little island. Being able to spend so much time outside in the sun is awesome, thinking that it might be snowing back home. Not to mention we all came back with tans! One of the nights at the resort, Adrienne got out her guitar and I sat and listened to her playing. As time went on more and more people from our group came out and we just ended up having a time of worship and prayer. God is here with our group and is teaching me new things. I’m so thankful for the people in our group; it’s amazing how people so different can come together and bond. Now we are done with travel week and I move in with a different family tomorrow. I’m nervous, but I know that God’s hand is in it. Well, until next time…((oh, and Mark and Eric are still alive and Mark can almost do a standing back tuck; all is good in the DR))
my family that I had to leave 
my graduating class
opening inside the cave
Fall break - What a glorious two words. I went to the beautiful land of Illinois. Not only is its beauty that makes it a great state, but it is also where my boyfriend, Jared, lives and preaches. Topeka, Illinois is a place kind of out in the middle of nowhere and I LOVE IT! I was so ready to slow down my pace and enjoy the country. I stayed with two different couples from Jared’s church. One of these couples had 2 young boys (one of which was a 1 month old baby). So staying with them was kind of like a taste of home since I have two siblings that are 2 and 4.
This was my first time out there on my own for FOUR whole days!!! I ate it up like a little kid gobbles up her Christmas treats! Everyday was packed with things to do, but I never felt like they were mandatory or a schedule. It was very peaceful and God really spoke to me out there. On Saturday, Jared and I went on a picnic and spent some time discussing his sermon for Sunday - this is usually done over the phone so it was nice to have some face to face time. It was such a blessing to help him piece things together and get to see the finished product on Sunday morning.
I fell in love with the church (Sand Ridge) and the people. They are all so sweet and welcoming.
Honestly, I was so nervous to meet them. I have my own style when it comes to clothes and so I was a bit nervous as to how they would take meeting this young college girl who is dating their pastor. I still don’t think they know I have a tattoo on my foot which may cause them to cringe a bit, but hey it’s me. ha ha ha But they were all glad to finally meet me. One couple even made me a spoon bracelet and a rhubarb pie! (The pie is pretty much gone thanks to my roommate and I devouring it every chance we get a study break).
I guess all this is to say, that God is so good! He has blessed me so much. He has blessed Jared and his church. I like that we both have our own ministries. Mine is here at Bethel and Jared’s is out in Topeka. I know God has great things planned for both of us right where we are and I’m ready for Him to use me in any way He has planned.
Well, I am half way through my first Senior semester at Bethel. It’s hard to believe in a couple of months I will be student teaching! With my student teaching classroom so close to Bethel, I have been able to visit a few times this semester. I hope to use this semester as an opportunity to get to know my students before I start teaching. It’s so fun to see the kids change from week to week and it amazes me how quickly they can adjust and learn in such a short time.
I can’t wait to see where student teaching takes both the students and me. It will be a learning experience for everyone!
Last week I went on a little field trip to Chicago for the day with the rest of my Perspective in Fine Art’s friends. Overall the experience was a quality time and good learning experience. We arrived in the Windy City around 1ish, hopped off the bus, and checked out the Chicago Institute of Art for a couple of hours. It was pretty impressive to see what some of these artists come up with… others not so much. We checked out the artistic creations from the likes of Pablo Picasso, Caravaggio, and Grant Wood.
Nathan, Ashley, Katie, Me, and Randall at the Chicago Institute of Art
Next we had a couple hours to kill before the opera started so Ashley, Randall, Katie, Nathan and myself headed over to the Water Tower Place. We road the elevators up and down way to many times and even threw our hands up for good measure… you know just for kicks. After a free massage from the massage store, a trip to American Girl (at the request of Mr. Randall), and some free tea samples from the teashop, we decided it was about time to get some dinner and hit up the Cheesecake factory. I had chicken fettuccini alfredo. Classic. After dinner we chilled at Borders until the opera.
hanging out in Chi-Town
Now the opera was quite the cultured experience. The second we walked through the doors I realized I was without a doubt the most underdressed I had ever been in my entire life… oops. The opera folk were all dressed up in suits and ties while they sipped their champagne. Myself on the other hand was wearing faded blue jeans and sneakers. This is when I realized it probably would have been a good idea to dress up for the opera like our Professor had suggested. Live and learn I suppose.
A pic of my room.
- My friend Melisa and I at Goodwill. Oh, the things you can find!
- My sisters and I when they came down to visit me! L-R, Jessica, me, Emma, and Becca
- My sister Becca. Looking gorgeous!!
- My sisters and I right before Becca’s wedding. From L-R, Becca, Jessica, Emma, and me.
- Shupe Corn Maze. Our van got stuck but all of us girls were able to push it out. YEAH!
Corn Maze with Shupeys!
Well, I have been asked what a day is like in my life, so I thought I would share with you all what a day really is like here. Here is a rough schedule:
((each day is usually in the 80’s or so )
5:00 a.m. Wake up to my barking dog, which does not seem to bother anyone but me
6:30 a.m. Wake up again to my barking dog
8:30 a.m. Get up for breakfast (ex.cornflakes, pancakes, crackers and cheese, fruit, mangu (potato mush))
9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Homework time/hang out time while the music is blaring, family is coming and going and bugs are everywhere you go
12:30 p.m. Lunch time! (ex. rice, beans, avocado, meat, yucca, spaghetti, fish, fried plantains, tostones (smushed plantians))
1:30 p.m. Go to base to work on homework/see everyone else
3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Spanish classes and the daily rainshower
7:30 p.m. Dinner (ex. mangu, fried cheese (my favorite), salami, yucca)
After dinner: hang out with my family, go to my dad’s baseball game, play dominoes, sit outside talking with my family, learn to dance
Other highlights during the day would be:
-seeing new bugs, like the tarantula I saw the other day
-taking a warm shower (its always a good morning when we have water, and it’s warm. I have only had to take one bucket shower)
-Break time during class because we get American desserts sometimes!
-teaching my sister and cousin how to play silly games like zip-bong
Also, I’m sorry I haven’t put up any pictures yet, today I will fix that! So, overall everything is going really well, but please keep my “cousin” here in your prayers. He is really sick and has been in the hospital the past couple of days. Spanish classes end on Tuesday and we will have a travel week after that. We will get to see the country while also going to museums and historical places, learning about the history. Well, until next time…
waterfall adventure
Hanging out with my family
at the waterfall
So as many of you are only in the middle of your school semester, I only have 4 days more of spanish classes! After that I have a week of Ministry class sometime in November. Jealous? DON’T BE! Ok maybe you can be a little bit jealous. I do have to write at least 8 pages IN spanish, a presentation IN spanish, a whole text book to read and do journals on, a novel to read and write a paper on, a 15 page journal to do in spanish, about 3 other journals to write, a scrap book/presentation due for the end of the semester of our whole trip, and of course the task of trying to become fluent in spanish. It may seem like a lot, but thats just because it is lol! But still I am having lots of fun here!
We went tubing in a river. We went on white water rapids. I believe is what it’s called? I almost drowned about three times and was left with huge ugly bruises on both knees, my big toe, random bruises on my legs, and a huge bruise on my butt. The guides were awesome though and saved me so many times as did many of the guys on our team, I felt pretty pathetic lol. I don’t have any pics available for that event though :/ We weren’t allowed to bring anything because it was so intense we would have lost anything we brought.
We also went to another waterfall. I’ve been to about 3 waterfalls here. Really beautiful.
Forgot the name of this waterfall : /
Salto De Jimenoa
Me and the baby chicken, not so much a baby, more like an adolescent teenager lol
Eating Cake at “Pizza & Pepperoni”, they had some GREAT mozzarela sticks there!
The team at The monument of Santiago
Swimming at the River “Chaqueta”, after our creeking experience,
So next Tuesday we are moving out of our host families homes and back into the base and leaving for travel week, which I am pretty excited for. Then we start our ministry sites on October 26th!
A couple of weeks ago, my friend Theresa gave me some sage advice: sign up for service day now, because the spots fill up fast. So, right after chapel, I rushed over to the computer lab to choose something to do for Bethel community service. Down at the very bottom was just what I was looking for - reading books to elementary children. I was so excited, this would not only be fun, but I also would gain some experience for my future teaching career.
So, this past Tuesday, the whole campus gathered prepared to go out into the community and serve in many different areas. It turns out that not only was my friend Theresa going with me, but Anna (the other freshman blogger) was going as well, which made it so much more fun. Once we got there, the supervisor gave us a little crash-course in the Read-a-Book program that we were participating in. Each of us was assigned a different child for a half-an-hour just to spend some time with them reading.
I was assigned to five different children that day - all boys It was a bit of a stretch for me, but I really did enjoy my time with them. All of them loved the special attention that I showed them, but especially one little guy named Andre. Honestly, he wanted to talk to me more than listen to the story. He was only a 5 year old, but he had a very tough aura about him. As I was listening to his little stories, I realized that he didn’t necessarily have the best home situation - he was tough, because he had to be. My heart was breaking for him. At that moment, he just needed me to listen more than a story time. Let me tell you that the time that I had with these kids was really priceless.
I’m sure that the other Bethel volunteers felt this way as well, we all had a really great time. I’m just so glad that Bethel gives us this opportunity, and that it is mandatory These kids that we interacted with, may not remember our names, but they will remember that someone cared enough to spend time with them. If enough people care, then together, we can make a difference.
It has come to my attention that the freshman on my floor may adamantly say they do not like Miley Cyrus, yet for about the 100th time this year, I am sitting in my room listening to her latest hit “Hoedown Throwdown”. Needless to say they are all learning the dance to go along with it. I admit, they have sucked me in a few times when these dancing lessons are taking place and I’ve had a blast. These girls are so much fun. I think there may be about a handful that do not partake in this Miley music fad. The ones that do, spend about an hour on the dance and perfect it. ha ha ha, the things that Shupe ladies do to amuse themselves or to get a break from studying.
I’ve become such a mom. If I see an Oakwood boy come over, my guard goes up and I watch him like a hawk. I love all my girls so much. God’s giving me His heart for them and it’s not always the easiest to bare. Problems will and have come up, but God’s grace and love overflow. I am so thankful for the RAs I am with this year. We are like a family - encouraging one another and coming to one another with advice or concerns. God is doing great things here and although it may seem overwhelming at times, His will is what I strive for everyday.
Wow- I can’t believe I just went to my last Service Day at Bethel!
I know my time this morning at Goodwill was a success because I am exhausted! I went with 5 other girls to sort donations- I have never seen so many clothes in my life!
We sorted everything from baby clothes to bed linens. We were given a big task and did an AWESOME job at working hard until it was complete. It was nice to help others out while also having fun with friends.
I am so glad Bethel gives students the opportunity to serve in our surrounding community. What better way to share Christ’s love?!
GREAT JOB, GIRLS! TODAY WAS DEFINITELY A SUCCESS!!!
This past weekend I had a volleyball tournament near my hometown. Friday night there were about 20 people from my high school that came to watch the game and on Saturday my whole extended family on my dad’s side came to watch! It was such an amazing feeling knowing I had all that support behind me. Our volleyball tournaments are usually so far away, not many of my friends and family get to see me play. I am so thankful we had a tourney close to home so my family and friends could see me play one last time.
After the game, the team came to my house to eat! The food and fellowship were amazing!
Some of the girls on the team letting their food settle while watching the Notre Dame game!
Thanks for all of your love and support! I love you all!
Hello all,
I’m happy and excited to announce that next semester I will be leaving the small, homely, and oak tree covered campus of Bethel College for a semester abroad trip. That’s right ladies and gentlemen I’m going on the Pacific Rim study abroad extravaganza. Now to those of you who are unfamiliar with this multicultural and educational learning experience called Pac Rim let me fill you in… This trip is made up of six weeks in New Zealand (you know, where they made Lord of the Rings), one week spent visiting the country of Keith Urban… yeah that’s right you guessed it, Australia. Oh and seven weeks in China. Here’s the official description of the trip from Bethel’s Study Abroad department… ahem, “On your way around the Pacific Rim you’ll go night kayaking in New Zealand’s Bay of Islands, visit the Sydney Opera House, and climb the Great Wall of China. Live, eat and breathe three new cultures while stretching your worldview and continuing your studies far beyond the walls of a traditional classroom.” Sure sounds like quite the quality time. I’m looking forward to taking in all of God’s amazing creation and learning a lot academically, culturally, and spiritually. Welp, that’s all for now folks.
So… imagine this: 4 guys are sitting around a room at 12 a.m. One says, “hey lets do something, I’m bored”. The next one says, “how bout we write a song?” The third guy says, “it should be a rap song”. And the fourth guy just starts playing a drum beet by hitting the back of a banjo and the fridge door. Needless to say, that night was magical. Me and three of my friends stayed up till 3:00 a.m. recording this rap song about being brothers together. It started off just being goofy, but it turned out pretty legit! I found a site that will put songs on iTunes for me, so the song will be up there in a few weeks.
In other news, my life has become more and more stressful as the year progresses. I’m the new team leader for the music ministry team. I very happy that I got this position, but with it come a lot of responsibility. Jill (the director) told me that she wants this group to run self sufficiently without needing her. Since I’m the only person on the team with any experience on a ministry team, I need to know everything about anything.
I’m excited to see how God stretches me this year even though it’s difficult.
-Nate
Doesn’t everybody hate Mondays? I know that I do, especially these last few weeks. For me, a normal Monday consisted of a class at 9:00 and 1:00, then moving my harp from home to Bethel (which can be quite a hassle,) then some music lessons, trio practice, and orchestra which ends at 6:30. For me, that is quite a long day. But praise the Lord for His unexpected blessing!
Last week, my harp teacher worked it out so that we could store one of her harps at Bethel! Because of this generous offer, I don’t have to move it around on Monday’s anymore, and I can also can practice whenever I need to now. If anyone is looking for me, I will be in the practice room
God is very good to us. On those days when we don’t feel like getting out of bed, He brings us little blessings that make our lives easier.
Here it is, in it it's new home :)
Yes, I am a little obsessive :)
