Where, Oh Where Have I Been

Hm, well, it has come to my attention that yet again my poor little blog has been neglected. Not by you, obviously, but by me...

Anyway, let me update you a little on things. I have started school again. This is year number two at Multnomah Bible College, and I am a junior, soon to be senior. God worked out all the details to get me here and in classes, and I am so grateful. There were so many financial aid problems that came up, but it all worked out about 3 days before school started, so here I am. I am taking 7 classes which works out to be 15 credits, plus there is Chapel and work too. I guess I am busier than I realized.

I still am without a car, but I think it's going to be ok. I know a few people on campus who have vehicles and so far have been able to get around pretty well. It is pretty humbling at times though to ask for a ride to here or there. Last year it was me giving the rides to stores and what not and I always loved to do it for people, but I never knew how much it takes to work up the nerve to ask for a ride. Now I do. Sometimes I wish I had a vehicle, but at other times I feel like God has been preparing me for something life-changing and this is part of the process.

Have I mentioned that I am enjoying classes? I am really liking them. Last year at this time I was in syllabus shock seeing all the work that was going to be required for some of the senior level music classes I was taking. But this year I am in all sophomore Bible classes and a couple junior music classes and it kinda feels like a break. Last year my papers averaged being about 12 pages long, but this semester I don't think I have even one that has to be more than 6 pages.

Hmmm, I think so far my favorite class is choral conducting, where I am learning to be a conductor. At the end of the semester, I will be going to my prof.'s church and directing a song for his choir! Can you believe it? That is my final!!! HAHAHA, that should be fun...as long as I practice real good.

My other favorite time of day is when I go to work. I love my job. It doesn't even feel like a job. I work in the music office at the school (which works out well, as I am a music major). My duties are to do whatever the office manager asks me to, which includes putting filing cabinets back together, assembling chairs, filing objects into the newly fixed cabinet, cleaning the coffee pot, etc...but most recently tutoring new music students has been added to my duty list. I am so totally stoked about that. Just a couple days ago I was telling a friend how I would love to be a music theory tutor, and then yesterday my boss asked me to be one! Ha! Praise God, huh?

onto other things...
I have been thinking a lot lately about being a missionary in a foreign country. To my closest friends who are reading this, this is not a shock to you because I have been talking about it for the past several months. It just sees like the more time that passes by, the more I feel my heart being drawn elsewhere. I don't know where, and I don't even know what I would do, but I do know that I want to go. So I am thinking about going on a "short term" mission trip this coming summer. I will need much prayer in making the decision and then much prayer in getting the funding, but hopefully the trip will open my eyes to what a life in foreign missions is really like and help me decide if I really do want to live abroad in a completely different culture for the rest of my life.

As many of you know, I can be rather impulsive at times, but this is not something that I can allow myself to just "jump" into without first knowing everything I can possibly know in order to make a good decision. It's funny but it is my tendency to "jump" into things that now gives me pause ;).

And to the end.....
Thank you for being patient with my ramblings on. Thank you for your prayers as well. God is so good.

Please be patient with me. My load may not be as heavy as last year, but it is still intense and I might not be able to update this blog as often as I would like. I do always get your messages and comments though, thank you so much for those as well. Enjoy this day and God bless you,
in Christ,
Laura Jean