Tidbits from Day One

Nobody likes to be rejected. Whether it be by a person, and animal, or even an ATM. Well, as a canvasser, I am used to a lot of rejection, but yesterday was a day with far more rejection than I was used to.

It might not have helped that I was in pain (from my bag digging into my not-yet-healed shoulder) or that the california sun was beating relentlessly down on me, or even that I probably had the wrong mindset when I set out, but whatever the reason, I was miserable.

As I trucked from door to door, getting no after no, I started planning out a path of escape. Of all the rediculous plans I came up with, the top of the crazy pyramid was my plan to reinjure my ankle so I couldn't keep going. Yeah, I was that desperate for an escape. Thankfully, I'm not that crazy, and I really hate being on crutches, so I kept going.

There was a point in my day when I seriously considered just sitting on the curb and crying. In fact I did sit down, but after a minute or so, I willed myself to at least finish the day. I was pleading with God to show me why I was suffering, to give me some kind of sign that there was a reason that I was continuing on, that there was a purpose for my presence in this overly-heated city.

A couple of houses after sitting down on the curb, I heard this lady calling out from the other side of the street, asking me if I wanted some water. I was already fully stocked with water bottles and I couldn't hold any more. So I told her I didn't need any, but she continued to keep asking me questions that, for some reason, I could not hear.

I crossed the street so that I could talk to her properly and ishe asked me what I was selling. Too depressed to talk, I simply tipped my books so that she could see the pile stacked in the arms. With a sweet smile she told me that she was from the Clovis SDA church.

At that point I burst into tears and her daughter came outside and ushered me into the house. They gave me some kleenex and an impressive mix of fruit, asking me why I was crying. After telling them about my rough day, they prayed for me and I was on my way, refreshed and inspired.

As I continued to knock on doors, I was reminded of a quote from Ministry of Healing that says, "Expect that the Lord will work in and by and through you." I realized that up to that point, I had been knocking on door after door faithfully, but that I had been expecting people to say no. I was going through the motions of canvassing, but I didn't have the belief that God would work on the hearts of those I talked to.

Today is a new day, and I know that the Lord will do great things. Not because I'm a great canvasser (because I'm not), but because He is the greatest canvasser of all.

Day at the River

[Photo credit to Anne Mulder]

Freshman Year

I'm currently in the middle of wrapping up my freshman year of college. It's been quite the adventure, and I have to say that, for the most part, I was pleasantly surprised that most of the college clichés weren't true (at least for me). This has been a year of awkward moments, close-calls, drama, no money, and way too much free time. But it's also been full of crazy times, new friends, late night adventures, personal growth, and a lot of taco bell runs. Here are some of my favorite memories:

It was crazy getting here. I mean, we all know that we're going to grow up sooner or later, but actually going to college was a surreal experience for me. I think it was just the realization that I wasn't a little kid anymore, that I was free to manage my own life. And getting to go to WWU with about a third of my classmates wasn't so bad either. The picture above is from our first college pizza party. Actually, it was our only pizza party, but we had plenty of other fun get-togethers.

One of the benefits of being in college is meeting awesome people, and I certainly hit the jackpot when it came to new friends. And like every set of friends, the variety in this bunch is crazy. Chelsea Bond does the most convincing accents I've ever heard. Brandon Forry (aka Brand-o-flakes or Barnacle Boy) is so of full of energy, he puts me to shame. Courtney Palmer is one of the sweetest people I've ever met. Ritchie Hammen makes an awesome soccer mom. Alyssa Beddoe is so much fun to road trip with. Brendon McNally (aka Sugar) loves orange more than Heather does (which is quite astonishing, really).

Spencer Thorp (aka Spancy <--yes, the spelling is intentional) is always a dependable ride to Walmart, and he is easily bribed with cookies. Sasha Swenson is bold enough to rock a red streak in her hair (don't write her off as shy, she rocks). Natalie Dorland is someone who, though I never get to see her, still manages to be one of my favorite friends here on campus. Dane Purkeypile (aka Purkey-Turkey-Jerkey or Kansas) is an overly-competitive guy that is also a really dependable friend. I've probably missed someone, but I can definitely say that there are many more people that have wiggled their way into my heart this year.

Everyone wants the chance to run their own life, and to be able to choose things for themselves. But I must admit that although I am on my own legally, I could not have gotten through this year without the support of my parents. And I don't mean just financially (though that is very true), I mean that all of my parents (Mom, Melvin, Dad, and Amanda) helped me get through this year without going crazy from too much stress. I may be an "adult" but I certainly don't know how to function by myself yet.

As all roommates do, Heather and I had some rough spots this year. But I am proud to say that these disagreements were far and few between and I can't remember the last time one happened (of course, I don't even remember if I ate breakfast this morning or not, so....). But it's been an awesome year and our friendship definitely grew much deeper. I saw her go through a lot this school year and I am always amazed at the courage she has when facing new life challenges. She has always been an inspiration to me, and this year certainly didn't change that.

Okay, I admit it, we did some crazy things this year. Trips to get dairy queen or frozen yogurt, Walmart raids, ice skating, random dance parties, swimming down the river, movie parties, taco bell runs, bowling, miscellaneous rooks park adventures, surprise birthday parties, playing monkey on the groud at the playground for hours at a time, weekends at the Roses' house, swing dancing, study parties, having Eddy be my personal trainer (for about a week and a half), watching the sunset, making pie on March 14th, parties at Kevin's house, and even a spontaneous K-mart adventure. These are some the memories that I have from this year and when I can't wait to make more next year.

I have to admit that one of the things I pulled out of this year was a love for long boarding. Rad Chad (he's the only light-topped board in the picture above) and I have had a blast not only cruising between classes, but also just rolling around with friends on the weekends. Some of the best stories from this year happened while long boarding. Like the time when, after careful planning and smart thinking, we got all the way to the end of a long trail only to discover that Spencer had forgotten to bring his car keys, which was our ride back to the top of the run (don't worry, Spence, we still had a blast).

I always heard that the homework was hard and long, and that I would have a hard time balancing school, friends, and sleep. But I have to admit that throughout the whole year, I had more free time than I knew what do with. Some of my friends might say it's because I don't have a "real" major, but I was actually just taking a lot of generals. Well anyway, all I'm saying is that the homework wasn't as horrendous as I was expecting.

Overall, it was a pretty awesome year. There were definitely low points and high points. I learned a lot. Not just in school, but about life in general. I met great people, ate great (and not-so-great) food, almost failed a class, and found a new appreciation for the color orange. But hey, this is all just the beginning of my college experience, I'm still a freshman.