Christmas Ball

A week ago today I was home. And how lovely it was to be home too. I loved having Thanksgiving with my family. Sunday evening I got to hang out with my best friend and spend the night, and Monday I went to Disneyland before flying back early on Tues. I had lots of fun. However, all my fun meant that I got about 6 hours of sleep in the 48 hours before I went back to school. And I SO did not want to come back. But I did. I came into my dorm room, and both roommates greeted me and fed me and wanted hear about my trip. Then three girls from the opposite wing came to see me. It was very thankful to have friends to come back to. :)

The day after I came back was the big Christmas ball. I went with my roommate Mary Sue and another friend, Rebecca Hobbs. The three of us caught a ride with another couple. We went out to a very nice resteraunt beforehand, and it was quite enjoyable. The ball was held in a manor. I felt just like I stepped into Pride and Prejudice. There was a main ballroom, and a smaller one off to the side. There was a separate room for the food, a mens and a womens coat room, and a balcony. Everything was so beautiful. The dance turned out to be a lot of fun. Even though I didn't come with a date, I still got opportunities to dance. There was also a compitition of choreographed dances that was really fun to watch. I had a wonderful time at the ball. :)

And now, I face half a week of school and finals, then in a week and a half I'll be HOME for a month! Wow! I've almost made it!

Grandeur in DC

A few weeks ago, almost three weeks now, I went to DC. I went with my two roommates, Emma and Mary Sue, and one other friend, Rebecca Hobbs. Over fall break, we got up early in the morning and took the bus straight from our college right into the heart of DC. We had so much fun. We went to the top of the Washington monument, visited the WWII memorial and Lincoln memorial, ate lunch in the Reagan building, walked down the National Mall, saw the library of Congress and went to the National Museum of Art. It was a busy, tiring day, but thoroughly enjoyable. It is a great privilege to live so close to so many opportunities.

My favorite part of the day was seeing the Capitol building. I have been in the Capitol twice, but always through entering another building and taking the tunnel. I never had actually seen the exterior in person. Now of course, all of DC is grandiose. The Lincoln and Jefferson memorials resemble roman temples; the White House is wonderfully manicured; and the Washington monument sits in the middle as a very visual reminder of the grandeur. But the Capitol building was especially awe-inspiring. It was huge. It was intricate. It was beautiful. It inspired respect and awe. I'm pretty sure the pictures can't do it justice.

While I was in awe of the building, I thought about what the point of all this grandeur. Where was the glory pointing? Obviously, the point was to glorify this nation, and our system of government. I enjoy this nation. I am loyal to it, and I am extremely grateful for the privilege of living here. I have no problem with celebrating this country. But I couldn't help thinking that we have a better country awaiting. And while the beautiful grandeur of the Capitol points to the glory of this country, there will be glorious, wonderful grandeur in our true country, and that grandeur will point to the glory of God. I was reminded of Isaiah chapter 6:

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;

the whole earth is full of his glory.'

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke."

Just imagine that! Don't we serve a God that is amazing, glorious, awesome and wonderful beyond our comprehension? How much glory is He due? All that we have to offer! "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" (Revelations 7:12)

~Carissa

To God be the Glory

Maybe you guys can help me with this quandry: what should I do when I get good grades? If I tell people about it, I fear that I'm boasting and claiming the glory for myself. But if I keep silent, no one gets the glory. So I've come to a decision. I will tell of my triumphs, but please don't attribute any of the glory to me. I have shared a few of my struggles, now I will tell you of some successes. May God get the glory for all of my accomplishments, in every area of my life.

I have all of my grades back from my midterms. I was shocked by my grades (and in an entirely good way!). In my Research and Writing class, I received an A on my final exam and an A+ on my final paper. I scored a 86 in Western Civilization, 86 in Theology, and an A+ in Logic. But I am most glad of my 96 I earned in US History, becuase the US History test is definitely the hardest test of all the Freshmen classes.

Why am I telling you this? I want you all to know what God is doing in my life. How is God glorified if I share only my struggles and not the successes God has given me? I know these grades are the work of God. Yes, I studied hard. Yes, I tried my hardest. But Who has given me the capacity to study, or the ability to focus, or the brain to retain? One overarching theme of what I am learning here is that I am not sufficient to handle everything on my own. Which is why I am so wonderfully grateful for God's wonderful grace. He has and will continue to give me the strength to accomplish all that He sets before me. That is why He, and He alone, deserves the glory. :)

~Carissa

Happy November 1st!

I'm beginning to see a pattern here at college: I start to see a weakness of mine, I see the "weakness" with greater and greater clarity until I realize that it is a huge hole, I am overwhelmed with my inability to fill the hole, and finally I run to God and in Him I find all the strength I need. This past week was no exception. It was a rough week. Not for any reason in particular. I was very lonely. When I looked around, it seems like the people here are starting to form really close friendships, and I haven't. Sure, I have friends. But not like my friends back home. Of course, these friends will never be just like my friends back home, and I realize that. I felt pressure to act certain ways in certain groups and I didn't feel comfortable enough to be myself. Most all of this was my fault; my pride and insecurity gets in the way of relationships. But God is merciful, and He forgives my sins. This past weekend He has provided some amazing opportunities. On Friday, a friend from California was out here to check out the school. It was so exciting to see someone from home. He brought me two packages from home containing popcorn and cookies and banana bread. Mmmmm. Yay for care packages from Mom. :) I got to show my friend around a little bit, and on Friday night his dad took me, Makishi and Brett Harris out to dinner. For those of you who don't know, Brett Harris along with his brother Alex have written a book to teen called Do Hard Things. They put together confrences around the world and are impacting the culture. They are doing some awesome things for God. It was such a neat opportunity to visit with my friend and learn what Brett and Alex are doing next. Since then more and more cool things have been happening. The father of another student from Southern Cali came out to visit and he brought In-In-Out for a bunch of us, and his mother sent me some pumpkin bread. :) I've watched good movies with good friends (and some not-so-good movies), worked as a porter at a funeral, and visited a corn maze (but being college students, most of us lacked sufficient funds so we just took lots of pictures). Tomorrow my roommates and I are going into DC to see the sights. And we don't have school until Wednesday! God is good. He has put some amazing people at this school and has given me some incredible opportunities. I can't wait to see what kind of lessons, friends and situations are in store for four years.

Until next week,

~Carissa

I Survived Midterms!

I survived the week! That in itself is a miracle. I've completed my first final and I officially finished a college class! My Research and Writing class was only a one credit, 8-week class. It feels good to have it done. Tuesday was a Theology final. On Thursday I had an interview for the campus coffee shop. No word back yet; we'll see how it goes. Friday had two of the most difficult tests: US History (affectionately referred to as "Spinney") and Logic. On Thursday night, the atmosphere around the freshmen was tense. We would pass each other on the way to the library. "Are you ready?" one would ask. "No, not yet. Are you?" "Definitely not." It felt like we were about to go into battle. On Friday, we kept updating each other on our progress: "I've taken half of Spinney and Logic." "Oh, I still have all of Spinney to do." Lunch was a mess of notes as we quizzed each other and remembered last-minute facts. And then, what rejoicing on Friday night! We reveled in dining hall pizza and ice cream. How did I celebrate? My mentor, and senior named Krystal, took me out for coffee. Later, I walked with my roommate into town to have dessert with one of my professors. Yes, celebrated the end of tests by sharing dessert and talking to one of the professors who gave the test. But it was quite enjoyable. :)



Saturday was spent in recovery from midterms (I know, the college life is SO difficult!). I did manage to get a little schoolwork done. Saturday evening was PHC's annual HOEDOWN! Yeehaw! Too bad I left my cowboy boots at home. It was so much fun (I say that about every dance don't I? Well, it's true :]). The callers taught us about 8 line dances, and there were some really fun square dances as well as a little bit of traditional dancing. It was held in a barn with a dirt floor, and there was pie, and people dressed up in flannel and cowboy hats. By my senior year, I'll be a professional dancer. I was so tired by the end. I think we should have a dance every weekend. They are great workouts.

Today there was a very good message in church, as well as communion. In the afternoon, I got to visit with a friend from another dorm. Then, there was the epic football game. Now, usually our campus is a very nice, harmonious place. But today - man, you had to watch what color you wore. Black stood for D5 - one of the guys' dorms. White was D4, the other guys' dorm. Since I live right next to D5, and my brother wing is in D5, I wore black. But D5 lost :(. Sad times.

Besides schoolwork, this past week has had emotional difficulties. The homesickness was dreadful. I really felt completely isolated from everyone and inept at social situations. Now, some of you may read this and think "I knew it! Homeschooling deters kids socially." Well, I know that it's not due to my homeschooling. 85% of my campus is homeschooled, and if we were all inept then we would all sit at separate tables at meals and never come out of our rooms :). I've just never been very good at light friendships. It was really frustrating this past week. But then I realized that I have been relying totally on myself to go out there and be outgoing, and I was beating myself up for every perceived fault or awkward moment. And I knew that I can't make the friendships I want on my own. It is not my gift. So I threw myself on God's grace, admitting that I was incapable, but He is all powerful. And you know, it is so incredible what God does when we let go and let Him do His thing. I have been shocked and amazed at some of the situations He's put me in. A couple friends complimented me on being positive all the time; they said that it was very enjoyable to be around me. And I knew right then, that it wasn't anything I did or said to deserve that. It was all God. So now, God has completely broken me in respect to schoolwork and social life. And it is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I didn't know that learning my insufficiencies would be so liberating! I wonder what I shall have to learn next.

Thank you all for your continued prayer. In just a few more weeks I shall get to go home!!! I am so very excited for that. At the same time, I'm starting to feel comfortable here. God is good. He blesses me wherever I go. Thanks be to God, Hallelujah!

~Carissa

Winter Storms

H-hh-hello everr-rryonee!

Okay, maybe I'm being a little bit dramatic. But it is COLD! Right now it's somewhere around 50 degrees, plus windchill. It's been cloundy and rainy the past couple of days, with the possibility of snow forecasted today. SNOW! Wait, isn't this October? Barely even fall? Meanwhile, back home I am told that it is a lovely 80 degrees, sunny and delightful.

"Oh the weather outside is frightful..." I can't tell you how much I miss my fireplace back home right now. And I miss things like whipped cream on my hot chocolate, baking cookies, and shopping trips. I miss comfy couches and being able to watch movies. This cloudy, dreary weather has bred some homesickness in me.

Yesterday I took a walk to try to dispel my gloomy feeling. Yes, it was raining moderately. No, I did not take an umbrella. I was struck by the beauty in the world. The trees all unique in their various shades of red, gold and orange. The fall leaves littering the green grass; all vibrantly washed clean by the rain. A brook was rushing hurriedly over the stones. I realized, God is good. He called me to this school. He placed this school statigically in Virginia. This was not an oversight; I am supposed to be here at Patick Henry, here in Virgina. He has sprinkled His beauty throughout the earth. So what if there are four tests next week? Is He worried about the papers that seem monstrous? No. He called me here; He will sustain me here. He will create a large spot in my heart for this place and these people, but not at the expense of home. God is not replacing my affections but expanding them. I can love Virginia and I can love California. I can love these people and I can love my youth group, homeschool group, and camp. It is not a choice between them. God is good. God cannot not be good. Praise God.

And now, I can curl up in our brand-new coffee shop, with a cup of hot chocolate and the wind howling outside, and be at peace. The storm rages outside, the next week holds challenges, my future is unknown. But God is big, God is good, and I am content. May His name be praised now and forevermore. Amen.

~Carissa

Homecoming

My, has it been a busy week! Let's see if I can't convince you by the end that this really is "The Greatest School On Earth".

The school week was a little bit stressful (but not bad). On Monday night the big, final paper for my Research and Writing class was due. Since it is 35% of our grade, all the Freshmen were freaking out about it. To add to our anxiety, 20 points of the paper are for proper format, and those 20 points are 20 or nothing. Which means if we miss a period on our footnotes, we automatically lose 20 points. Talk about motivation. On Thursday we had a Western Civilization midterm. We were tested on everything between Creation and the fall of the Roman empire. It was lots to know. Have you ever heard two guys summarizing The Illiad? It goes something like this: "So this king steals Achilles girl and Achilles is like 'Dude, I'm not going to fight, you took my girl'. And later Achilles is all mad so he's dragging Hector's body around but it's not getting scratched up because the gods are like 'Hey, Hector's our buddy because he sacrafices to us.'" It's rather entertaining. But in the end, I survived both the paper and the test, and now I await my grades.

Wednesday was a momentous day in Patrick Henry College life. The brand-new, top-secret, new-and-improved dining commons opened! It is so much bigger than the old dining hall and it looks so nice. There is lots of room for future expansion, more tables, and lots of counter space. Many students say that it makes them feel like they go to a real school! :) And the best thing is, it is literally right across from my dorm. Wednesday evening the school took down all the black curtains and let us come into the grand lobby and the coffee shop! The coffee shop gave away free coffee and cookies, and the president of the school led a prayer of thanksgiving to God. It is absolutely beautiful. There is a stage for live entertainment, cozy tables for studying, and beautiful artwork. The coffee shop should be fully operational by sometime next week. I am so excited. God is really expanding this school.

Wednesday night was officially the kick-off of Homecoming week! There were so many fun things going on all week long. Thursday night was a four-way, in-the-dark capture-the-flag game. Lots of fun, especially when it started raining. I like capture-the-flag because you tend to learn things about people and group dynamics. I was impressed with the leaders we had on our freshmen team. I didn't see anyone who thought that they could take on the other teams by themselves. However, our biggest problem was that we didn't listen to each other well. People would throw out their own ideas, and we ended up with no plan. But even though we lost the game, we all had spirit at the end. We have some problems to work out as a team, but I'm so excited to spend the next four years with these people.

Friday was the big homecoming activities day. We were allowed to wear casual clothes to class as long as the showed school spirit. It was so weird to walk into class in jeans and sneakers! Woah! The business casual attire is so engrained in me now. All day were class color and costume compititions. The Freshmen were the yellow acrobats, which hopefully explains my costume (the homecoming theme was a circus, "The Greatest School On Earth"). Our guys' soccer team played their homecoming game. Now, our guys haven't won a game in two years. Not one. Just last weekend they scored their first goal of the season. And yet, lo and behold, our guys WON THE GAME! The final score was 2-1. It was so exciting! What a great homecoming game. :) That evening there was a tug-o-war compition, and the freshmen came in second only to the Seniors. I was very proud of them. The night was capped by carnival activities, including cotton candy, sumo wrestling, balloon animals and pie-a-proffessor.

Saturday was a little bit more serious. We had the official dedication of the Barbara Hodel Student Life Center.There were about 15oo people on campus for this event. Dr. Dobson was the official speaker and gave an excellent talk about calling to us students. It was incredibly humbling to realize what God is doing at this school. It is an elite school, teaching high-quality academics. It truly is raising up the next generation of cultural leaders. And for some reason, God has called me here. Me. I am awed and humbled, and I can't wait to see what His good plan is.

After the dedication, there was both the Alumni/Student football game (which was tied) and our Ladies' Soccer game (which we won 7-2. Go Lady Sentinals!). In the evening we had the treat of a concert on campus. A group of four of our talented freshmen guys got together and formed the band Salvus in Sanctum (which means "peace in the sanctuary", I think). They ROCKED! Seriouslly, they are very talented. I had been missing concerts, and especially electric guitar music. They had two electric guitars. :) It was way fun to listen to them. Someday they may be famous. And the official homecoming activities ended with a lovely ice cream social.

But we weren't ready to let the fun stop there. My roommate Emma and Gracy from across the hall got together and decided to build a forte in our wing. We tacked up our sheets and dragged out a matress and chairs. We pulled out our pillows and comforters to make the best forte ever! We ate snacks and chocolate and drank tea and watched an Audrey Hepburn movie. Gracy and I ended up sleeping in the hall all night. It was definitely fun, and we hope to make it a tradition to reward us after big tests.

And so, today I went to church and enjoyed some quiet time alone. Tonight is another school dance. It's not technically a homecoming dance. They call it a fusion dance: classic ballroom dances but modern music. I'm excited for it, I'm really enjoying the dances here.

Next week looks to be a little bit less stressful than the last one. There are no papers or tests due. However, I won't be taking it easy. The week after has four major tests/midterms and one bookreport, so hopefully I can work ahead on that. Please be in prayer as I try to be diligent with my time. I thank you for all your prayers from home. Last week I posted that I was feeling lonely and anti-social. This week has been filled with blessings of fun and friendship. God is good. Three simple words that are in the process of transforming my life. Pray that God continues to teach me humility and surrender. Here I am, halfway through my first semester at college. I know it is all God's doing, and none of my own. I am weak, but God is strong. I am insignificant, but He has called me from nothing and made me His own. To Him be all the glory and praise, forevermore, amen!

Blessings all.

~Carissa

God's Grace is Sufficient

Hello everyone!

Let me apologize for not posting last week. No, I don't have any reason or excuse. I just didn't feel like it, and it was wrong of me to say that I was going to be consistent and then not be. I'm sorry.

Well let's see, what have I been up to in the last couple weeks...

A week ago on Thursday started out as any other Thursday. I got up at 6 am, went to Western Civ at 8, then rushed back for wing chapel at 9:40. Wing chapel is always a highlight of my week. The ten girls in my wing all gather in my RA's room and we have a devotional, prayer, and just share and fellowship with one another. Well this week, as we were in the middle of our devotion, we heard some noises and shuffling in the hall. Since a couple of our girls were missing, we thought it might be them or just some other girls doing something crazy. We finished wing chapel, and as we were heading off to class, we found the sweetest thing. By our door, our brother wing had left us a sign that said "To our sister wing, from the wing of awesomeness," a pink shirt that they all had signed, and lots and lots of dark chocolate. Mmmm! It totally made my day.

Last Monday was my roommate Emma's birthday. My RA, my other roommate Mary Sue, and I all got together and decided to throw her a surprise party. Mary Sue and I invited a bunch of the freshmen and my RA got a cake. Unfortunatly, Emma happened to see us while we were decorating, so the surprise didn't turn out like we planned. But it was still a lot of fun. We had balloons and streamers, cake and music, and balloon wars. :)

Thursday was a big logic test, almost like a midterm. It also happened to be the day where they were doing fire alarm testing in the new building. So as we're taking our test, the alarm is going off, lights are flashing, and a very calm voice is telling us: "There is a fire in the building. Please exit in an orderly fashion." :) Definitely a story to tell once we're upperclassmen.

Spiritually, this past week has been so beneficial because it has been so tough. God completely broke me down to a point lower than I have ever been. The school load is getting really heavy now. Whenever I tried to study, I simply couldn't focus. I was so tired, but I couldn't sleep. I felt like I was completely failing at everything I tried to do. God used that point to show me with absolute clarity how insufficient I am. He proved to me that I cannnot do it on my own by letting me try. And it was miserable. I had to surrender to God and admit that I CAN'T do it. I am weak. But in my weakness, He is made strong. He called me here; He put me here; He will give me HIS strength to endure. And not just to endure, but to thrive! I may not be a straight-A student. I might not be the most popular, or a genius, or do something remarkable. But God put me here for a purpose, and He will give me the strength to accomplish all that He wants me to do.

Since surrending, things have gotten so much better. I do have to constantly remind myself that my strength is not my own, but God's. Yet I am amazed at what He has done. He's given me strength enough to meet every deadline, even if I can't work ahead. I've been able to catch up on some homework and actually accomplish things.

Another huge praise is the times for fellowship God has provided. Now, I'm really bad at this whole socialization idea. In fact, I don't make a very good social college student. I spend the majority of my time in my room, only leaving for meals and classes. I'm in bed by 11:00 every night, and usually before then. I've only stayed up past midnight twice while being here. But God has graciously provided opportunities for me to socialize with others. Besides my roommate's party, there was another birthday party on Friday for a freshman who is a friend of mine. On Thursday, a girl a met while at camp out here last year came to check out the school, and so I got to hang out with her. On Tuesdays I meet with my student mentor, and this past Tuesday we just hung out together and then studied together. Hanging out with her is a big encouragement to me. On Wednesdays I attend a bible study led by our school president's wife. And this is my third sunday now to attend Blue Ridge Bible church, and I really enjoy it. God is doing amazing things in my life, and I am grateful.

This coming week will definitely be an interesting one. On Monday my final research paper for research and writing class is due (35% of the grade!). On Tuesday we will move into the brand new dining hall. It is supposed to be much bigger and nicer, but there will be some policy changes and kinks to work out. Wednesday is the first day of Homecoming! There will be lots of activities throughout the whole week. Thursday is a pretty big midterm, probably my hardest. Friday has lots of homecoming activities, including a costume contest (Freshman class are the yellow acrobats - how do you dress up for that?). Saturday is the official opening of our new student life center. Dr. Dobson will be here to dedicate it, and there are supposed to be over 1000 people on campus for the dedication. Prayers for this coming week would me much appreciated.

I miss you all back home, and I am praying for you. I thank God for putting each one of you in my life in some way. Much love. <3

For Christ's glory,

~Carissa

P.S. -

I thought you might want to meet my roommates. Emma is on the left and Mary Sue is on the right. :)

I'm Ba-aack!

Friends, family and countrymen,

Hello again. Thank you all for the wonderful comments on my last blog. It's very encouraging to hear from all of you and realize that you're thinking of and praying for me. :) I do apoligize. I know that I have completely failed at updating this weekly. I do plan todo my best at keeping you all up-to-date and I give you all permission to bug me about it if I seem to slack off.

Of course, I do have an excuse for my sabbatical. My family came out to visit me last week! I know what you're thinking: "Gee, she's been away from home for three weeks and her family misses her so much that they drive out from California?". Okay, so that's not exactly what happened. Because of the fire in California, my family got evacuated from our home. Since there was nothing they could do and they were living in the trailer anyway, they decided to flee the smoke and head out to Virgina! So as I pull into church with some other students, I see a big 5th wheel in the parking lot. What a wonderfully familiar sight.

I had a great time with my family. My sisters came and spent two nights in my dorm room with me. They attended my classes and ate in the cafeteria. I tried to make them study, but that didn't work out too well. They also tried to tell my roommates horror stories of how I am conniving, sarcastic and evil. I don't think they succeeded in convincing them. But I found out that family keeps you out late, distracts you from studying and are, overall, a detriment to academics. But I love them for it.

I spent last weekend with my family and we went down to Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry is a national park about twenty minutes away from the school. Its main claim to fame is that it's the sight were John Brown attempted his historic yet failed revolt to free the slaves. But as we found out, it is also the sight of a stratigic battle in the Civil War that resulted in the biggest United States surrender of troops until WWII. Pretty fascinating stuff. Of course, there were plenty of reenactments, signs, and educational opportunities. But there were also some cute little shops, very nice people, and a beautiful graveyard on top of the hill. It was very pretty and I really enjoyed my time there. It was great to be a family again, especially doing something that is so typical of our vacations together.

Of course, having my family here meant that I also had to say goodbye yet again. I admit, I did go through a little bit of homesickness all over again. It also meant that I was just a step behind on all my schoolwork. And boy, was it a tough week to be behind in. There was some fluke in the Logic homework assignment, and one day's homework took four to five hours. There were also some heavy readings and assignments due, and on top of it all we had cleaning inspections AND our first exam is coming up on Monday. It's been a pretty crazy week, and yet by God's grace I've survived. No - I've done more than survived. I enjoyed this past week. I've seen how easily I get stressed, and I know that everything this past week has been accomplished with God's grace and peace.

Every busy week deserves celebration on the weekend. Well, Saturday night was the traditional Freshman swing dance. The sophmores host it and the freshmen get in free. I'll admit that I was nervous going into it. I don't know how to dance and I don't know the people here very well yet. But it ended up being an incredible, wonderful, awesome experience. They gave us a quick lesson on the basics of swing at the beginning. Then, we danced the night away! It wasn't too hard to learn, and there were lots of people who really knew what they were doing. The best part was that guys actually asked the girls to dance. That was such a totally new experience, and I one that I enjoyed very much. The main dance of the night was swing, but there was some modern, waltzes and polka as well. I had a blast. It was so much fun. The blisters on my feet are definitely worth it.

One praise: I believe I've found the church I'm going to go to. This morning was my first time there, but as soon as I walked in it just felt like I belonged. It's about five minutes away from the school, and they provide a shuttle. They have both children's and youth ministries, an AWANA program, and a college group. After the service I attended a get together for the college kids and I had a good time. I'm really excited about this church and really eager to get involved. It fits. Praise God. :)

So my prayer request right now would be that God would teach me how to be a friend to others. I realize that I've been incredibly selfish by waiting for friends to come to me, when there are people here that need someone to reach out to them. I need to work on building relationships. Sometimes I just feel like I don't fit in to the college crowd, and I don't know why that is. But hey, I have four years to work it out.

I miss you all very much. Feel free to write (my mailbox is sadly empty...), call, email or Skype me. I can't promise that I'll answer the first ring, but I'll do my best to get back to you. Thank you for all your prayers. May God bless you all richly. He is both mighty and good!

Much love,
~Carissa

Let's start at the very beginning...

Hello everyone!

Let me start by letting you know why I'm creating this blog. Many of you have asked me how college is and what I'm up to. I thank you all so much for this concern. It's incredible to realize how many of you support me. Unfortunately, I can't answer all of you as in depth as I'd like to due to time restraints (there's this thing called studying that I hear is advisable... I'm sure I'll find out about it eventually). So I decided to share my life via a blog. No, I do not consider this a replacement for individual contact. I love you all and will do my best to keep in communication. This is just so that I don't have to type the same story twelve different times. I will try to update you every week, but no promises.

Well, I have now been in Virginia for thirteen days. I have successfully completed orientation and my first week of classes. The weather is, well, different. It's hot and humid outside, but inside is so air-conditioned that I'm wearing sweaters. Also, it rains here. Which is really strange for a California girl. On Friday I walked from the cafeteria to my dorm, and the weather was beautiful. I used the restroom, and when I came out the sky was black, the wind was whipping around and the sky POURED rain. I've never seen it rain so hard in my life! It's strange not being able to predict the weather.

Of course, it's strange not being able to predict anything. I am having a more difficult time adjusting than I expected. The strangest thing is being responsible for myself. My dad's not waking me up in the morning, my mom isn't making me go to class, and my sisters aren't here giving me an "easy in" to socialization. It seems to be up to me. And as I've discovered, I am not sufficient to take care of it all. Trust me, I've tried. I've been stressed, lonely, overwhelmed, helpless, and depressed. But do you know what I have learned? God is sufficient. I am not, but He is. Slowly, piece by piece, I've given my struggles to Him. Three things that I know without a doubt have kept me going: He brought me here, He has a good plan, and He is always with me. How joyous to know that! I am thankful to be in this place of humility to learn important lessons. Yes, this experience is very humbling. I came from "the top of the world," now I'm an uneducated freshman. As my dad put it, I was a big fish in a little pond. Now I'm a little fish in a big pond. Ha ha. That's almost accurate.

But lest you all get the wrong impression, I'm not having a terrible time here. There are so many good things around me! The people here are so very nice. They make the effort to learn and use your name. They care about what's going on with you. My roommates are pretty great girls. Seriously. I've had much more than my share of teary breakdowns. I've cried on their shoulders, and they've prayed for me, reminded me of spiritual truth, and comforted me with tea and cookies. :) The girls in my wing are very sweet and very wise. My RA is incredible. The campus itself is beautiful. My dorm room is very comfortable. The food here is SO GOOD! Seriously. And I'm not just saying that because I've grown up on camp food.

The classes are excellent. I'm so excited for every single one of them. I love class, I love the professors, and I love the books. Every class is taught firmly on the foundation of Jesus Christ. He is the starting point and the foundation for every subject. Every class brings me into a greater understanding and appreciation of Him. How cool is that? Right now I'm taking Research and Writing, Logic, US History 1, Western Civilization 1, and Theology 1. Please don't ask me to choose a favorite. :)

The spiritual life here is so incredible. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday we have chapel service. Worship is so encouraging, because everyone sings along to the point that the voices threaten to drown out the music! The messages both encourage and convict. On Tuesdays we have small study groups. We're going through a book called "Creating the Better Hour: Lessons From William Wilberforce." As some of you might recall, Wilberforce and the movie "Amazing Grace" is a major inspiration to me. I relate to him so much. Thursdays we have wing chapel, which is a great time of sweet fellowship with my fellow "wing-mates." :)

I want to thank you all for the prayer support that you're offering. I know that sounds cliche, but I mean it with my whole heart. Nothing can mean more to me than that. I know that prayer is powerful and effective. A couple prayer requests: 1) That God would teach me balance. Specifically, that God will show me how and when I need to get out of my dorm room and socialize with people. As you probably ALL know, I am an introverted, self-reliant person. God is convicting me of my selfishness and my need to get out of my shell. 2) That God would teach me how to manage the school load coming at me. The classes are great, but they are definitely hard. I cannot begin to manage it on my own. 3) That God would lead me to the right church body. I am trying to find where He wants me to be, but I don't think I have yet.

Besides these prayer requests, please be in prayer for my family and friends back home. As most of you probably know, there is a big fire right between my house and my hometown. My family has had to evacuate our camp, and a few friends from the city have either been evacuated or in danger of evacuation. Please pray for the safety of the firefighters, the people in harm's way, and the houses in danger. Also, pray for me as it's hard to watch this from afar.

If you've made it thus far, I applaud you. I hope I haven't bored you with this account of my first week of college life. God has done really great things through this experience already, and I can't wait to see what He has planned for four years. Thank you all so much for supporting me on this journey.

With much love,

Carissa