God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

God is faithful. He got me through yet another week.

It's paper season, which means that there is plenty of schoolwork to keep me busy. Last week I had two papers, one article and a speech all due. It was difficult. I haven't been getting enough sleep and I've spent most of my time in my room studying. And I'm sorry to say, I haven't used this experience to God's full glory. I was (am?) tired, cranky, stressed, impatient and complaining. Of course I thought I had every right to be - I had so much to do, I had very little sleep, I had x, y and z to justify myself. But I was wrong. There is no justification for my attitude. God gave me last week as a gift, and I didn't realize it until halfway through the week. It was an opportunity to realize my weakness and God's strength.

It was also an opportunity to realize how I need others. I couldn't hole up in my room and with me, my schoolbooks and God make it through the week. I needed fellowship and encouragement from others. I had some great times at meals with friends and some late night talks. But the highlight of the week was seeing Peter Pan. Our theatre group has been working all semester on it, and the end result was fabulous. There was so much energy and talent. The choreography and scenery was creative. I just have to say it: this school is pretty incredible. :)

Oh and guess what? I'll be home in 2 and a half weeks! I only have are 1 paper, 1 speech and finals left. Can't wait to be home!

~Carissa

Spring Break!

Life never stops! I was so busy savoring the last few hours of Spring Break last week that I didn't find time to post, and I apologize. I played much more the second half of Spring Break than I did the first, but I still did *some* work. I had a really good break, and I'd like to share some of the highlights.

From Tuesday to Sunday of break Mary Sue and I house-sat for one of our professors. It was SO nice to have couch, and an oven, and real cooking. :) Not only did our professor hand us the keys to her apartment, but she also gave us full use of her car. I find it amazing that she would trust two college freshmen so much. I think her trust is a reflection on the students here at PHC, and I am honored to be part of this body. It's funny how much I enjoyed doing things like dishes and cooking in a real home.

Wednesday evening our friends Becca and Bethany came and spent the night. We all made dinner together and watched a movie. Thursday morning we woke up and went to DC. What was supposed to be a 45 min drive turned into 2 hours. We were trying to get to a metro station, but we took a wrong turn, missed more than one of our exits and had awful directions. When we did get to a metro station, the parking lot was completely full. But, we refused to be thwarted. We pulled over, got out a map, and found our way all the way into DC and parked at Arlington. We wanted to see the cherry blossoms, but all we saw while walking the mall were green trees. Finally we figured out that those were the cherry blossoms earlier in the week. We went to the American History Museum and saw some cool displays like the First Ladies' dresses and a war exhibit. But it was really crowded, which was not very pleasent. Our next stop was the National Gallery of Art. That was not crowded, it was very enjoyable. It is incredible the talent that God has given to some people. I could spend days in that museum. But our hunger pulled us away from the art, and we went in search of food. We wandered away from the tourist section, into the business zone of DC. We saw many big, impressive-looking and important buildings, moseyed through a farmers market, and found lots of Starbucks. However, we did not find real food. We ended up eating at the food court in the Reagen building, and then we took the metro back to Arlington. We made our way to the tomb of the unknown soldier and saw the changing of the guard. Everything at Arlington was very sobering and impressive. Our soldiers deserve that respect, yet again I was reminded about how rarely we give God that absolute, magnificent respect. True, our God is a god of gaity, laughter, and comaderie. But He is also the Lord of all, Creator of Heaven and Earth, and He has more majesty than we can begin to comprehend. This is the Lord we serve.

The quiet part of spring break was over, and people began to trickle back on campus. Emma returned on Thursday, so from Friday on she joined us at the apartment. Gracy came back on Friday, and on Saturday she and I had a picnic at Harper's Ferry. We hiked at least four miles in our flats and flip-flops, climbed on ruins of an old church, and purused cute shops. On Sunday we milked the last few moments of our break. Becca, Bethy, Emma and I walked around the historic section of downtown Leesburg. We had lunch in an outdoor cafe and stuck our nose in whichever shop struck our fancy. Then we got coffee and went back to the apartment, where Mary Sue had made us dinner. We finished out our lovely time with a girl movie and brownies. I may be really bad at the idea of college partying, but I seriously had a really amazing Spring Break. :)

It was hard to jump back into school. Thankfully, the schoolwork I did has put me a little bit ahead on assignments and relieved some stress. These next two weeks will be difficult, as four papers, two speeches and five finals stand between me and home. I trust in God's strength to get me through, and prayer is gratefully accepted. There is plenty of fun in these next weeks as well, from the play to the the comedy show to the football game to Lake Bob day. :D I cannot wait to be home with my family, rest, and see my friends. I'm almost there!

~Carissa

He is risen!

Christ our Lord is risen today! Alleluia! Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia.

Easter is a wonderful, truly wonderful, holiday. Can you imagine the scene at the first easter? How must the faithful have felt, when all hope was lost, their messiah killed by the power of darkness. What confusion, what would you do with yourself? To have no hope, no assurance. And then - to find the tomb empty, your rabbi missing. Christ is risen! Hope is restored in a greater measure, and the darkness is conquered by a much greater power. This is why we celebrate today. Bunnies are cute, chocolate is one of God's good gifts, and I think Peeps were invented directly by Christ before he ascended (is that heresy?). But if Christ was not raised from the dead, we are to be pitied most among all men. But Christ has been raised from the dead! (1 Corinthians 15:19-20) This is why we celebrate.

Our marvelous God is so good. He blessed me with a wonderful day with wonderful people. It was a beautiful day - warm and sunny. I attended church at Blue Ridge (my regular church). It was a lovely time with beautiful worship, a great message and just a time of celebration and remembrance. During the meet-and-greet time, we (myself and three friends) met a family, who later invited us over to their house for lunch. They had four other families over, including the pastor. Their house is beautiful - huge, and beautifully decorated - and their property is even better. We dipped our feet in the creek, hid easter eggs, jumped on the trampoline with the kids and a delicious lunch. God's family is a remarkable blessing.

I'm almost halfway through Spring Break, and how the time has flown! So far it's been mostly work. Even so, it is nice to have the time to actually give proper attention to my studies instead of being pressured. Campus is so quiet, but there are enough good friends here to keep me from being lonely. I've had a great time of rest, study and enjoyment.

I hope this post finds you safe and well, and that you take time to consider the blessing God has given you. Our God is a good God, and He always cares for us. Always.

~Carissa