Yep... that's about the story of my life right now. Depressing huh? Weeeeeellllll not really...
See, even in the midst of all this craziness and not getting enough done, and having to work too much, and not having any time for my friends, or even time to THINK... I feel like I am being renewed every day!
Like the week before last. It was relaxing and stressful at the same time. I had several issues to work through over break and it wasn't the most mellow of topics,(i.e. huge stress possibilities), and yet I can't say that I came out of it with anything but peace! Part of that came from some very definitive God time up on Walton's Mountain... but some of it also came from a 9 hour (round trip)car drive up to NE to visit an old friend, and a very new friend (had just met her on Monday!). It was good to sit and visit with my old friend over some (MMMMmmm) Godfathers pizza. (interjection here that I really, and I mean REALLY, like Godfather's pizza, but the one here in town closed a number of years ago, and I haven't been able to get my hands on any since then) Just reconnecting and hearing what God is doing in both of our lives was neat. Even though God is leading us down really different paths, and in different places, He still is directing our steps towards Him, and its neat every once in a while to look up and see someone else going the same direction, even if they are walking on a different path. Just kinda do the spiritual "whazup" head bob, and you are instantly encouraged!
And it was really neat to meet this new friend. Like I said, I had just officially met her on Monday of that week, and we had talked for a long time while I was still in Colorado. When I got back to Manhattan, it was weird, but God was just like, "Jo, you need to go visit her." And in my natural incredulity, I was like, "Uhm, excuse me? I don't know what You are thinking God, but I have about 4 papers to write, and a test to study for! I can't just take off and run up to NE for the weekend!" But God wouldn't stop His nagging (can I say that without being disrespectful of His supremacy?). And so on Saturday I decided to get done what I absolutely had to and take off Sunday morning for a 5 hour drive up into the flatlands of the cornhusker state!
Well, God really knows what He is doing when He lays stuff on our hearts like this... (not that He doesn't always, but you know what I mean...) I think I was the biggest blessing in a friend that she had ever met! Now, I should back up and tell you that I had only met her because she was a former coursemate (read classmate) of one of my dear brothers from Uganda. He was telling me about this friend of his, and how she was in the US and going to nursing school, and that I should be her friend on facebook and meet her. (now, I think that some of my dear peeps from Africa *bless their souls* don't really understand how big the US is, being as their countries are so small (like the size of our states)... so I'm always cautious about distance judgment) So, I asked where she was going to school... come to find out its in NE... not so far away... though why anyone from Uganda would want to go to small town NE to go to school is way beyond me!! Anyway, her English is immaculate, but like any foreigner, she is scared and shy of interaction with us crazy Americans. Almost all of her friends on campus are international students also. I am the first white American that has taken an interest in her, and it completely blew her away that I would drive 5 hours out of my way to visit her!
Man, I wish I could bring that much joy to people's faces more often! I was so nervous that as I was driving into town, I started to actually shake and second guess myself. Thinking, "why the heck am I doing this? I don't even know this gal! We've only just started talking to each other!" It could have been WAY awkward...
The moment that I stepped out of my car though, man it hit me... a wave of love. Like an almost magnetic connection. She got wrapped in her first "american" hug, and we proceeded to love on each other the rest of the night! I didn't want to leave... and had to tear myself away around 2300... rolled back into town at around 0330
Yeah, so that was my kick-off to one of the most awfully stressful weeks of my life...
First of all, let me just say that I like order, structure, organization. Not that I am good at it... as the obvious disarray of my room currently demonstrates quite poignantly! But that is how I function best. This last week was a MESS.... wait let me spell that out for you... M E S S.
Nothing was in order, nothing got done well. I felt like I was running from one half-ass project to another... kinda helter-skelter! My schoolwork was overwhelming, tiring, then just plain ridiculous... and I won't even START on my work situation!!
Really amazing thing... God is still soooo faithful! and my friends are really amazing at encouraging me!
In fact last, night I got home from some really discouraging situations at work, and my roommates had taped encouraging messages all over my room, and filled the floor with balloons!
And don't even get me started on God, cause flair pray'rs... yeah, consistently being used right now, and let me tell you... He is faithful, even when we are faithless!
Here goes another week! And I have every confidence He'll pull me through this one too!
1 comment:
:) Way to go, Jo.
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