We stayed in a beautiful, huge chalet way up on a mountain. We arrived Friday night. The roads were icy, but we made it up and down ok. The conferences were good, the music was good. Saturday during the morning conference, one of the boys, Christian, got sick and they took him to the hosiptal. They think it was strep. Just before it was time for dinner, Jason (our youth pastor) told us that there was a mix up and we were in the wrong chalet! So we had to go back, pack our stuff, and go find the correct chalet on a different mountain. The first mountain was the wrong one. The second one was covered in ice and we were unable to make it up, and had to back the three 15 passenger vans down backwards. The pizza delivered to our vans which we parked at a church on the mountain. Since we were unable to get up the mountain, we weren't sure where to stay. Jason was able to talk to people at Johnson Bible College and we headed that way to stay in some of their old dorms.
When we arrived, about 5 hours after we'd left the conference center, we all piled in the building with our stuff and got sheets and blankets, and discovered that when they went to turn the heat on it blew the breakers! So there was no lights except emergency lights, and no heat or hot water. I had a flashlight and we all got our rooms settled anyways. The electricty finally came on shortly before bed, yay! Oh what a day that was. Through it all God kept us fed, warm, and had beds to sleep on at night. Thank you Lord!
Sun morning we went to a morning conference and headed home. Although we spent an ample amount of time in the vans, it was good to get to know each other more, play games, talk, etc.
One thing that kind of hit me on this trip, was how I usually come into a situation, a trip, a semester of classes, etc. with expectations and wants. Sometimes I'm more intentional about them and sometimes it's something I don't realize until later. For example, on this trip I wanted to: 1. Get mint chocolate fudge. But none of the shops had any. 2. Meet the Skit Guys and one of the singers, Francesca Batestelli but I didn't see them at all - not sure if they weren't at their tables or I just missed them. 3. To get enough sleep and maybe even my own bed which I did get. 4. To hang out with and talk to certain people and I did for the most part. 5. To take lots of pictures and get some good ones which I did. But as I stepped back and thought about it towards the end of the trip, I also noticed other people's wants and expectations. Some of them didn't get theirs met, and some did. But in all that, do we miss what God's trying to do or tell us? Do we get caught up in selfishness of who's in our room, who's in our van, where we get to shop, etc. and lose sight of what the point of the trip is? I hope not. Not just for myself, but for everybody. I hope that we can learn not to let our unimportant wants and the difficulties thrown our way get in the way of letting God use us and speak to us. That when things get bad we don't shut down. I am working towards this.
"The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." - 1 John 2:17
Classes have started back. I hate hate hate hate homework. When I get home, I've had a day of classes and baby-sitting and all I want to do is watch TV/movie, get on facebook, eat, shower, and go to bed. I also don't ever want to work out, but I need to start doing that.
Class #1. Folk, Social and Square dancing.
HA! yes! I need an extra class to push me over to a full time student to be under my parents insurance since I turned 21 last year. The class is surprisingly half girls half guys. So far we learned a few dances and they're all fast and tiring. It's hard to do! It makes me tired and she only runs through it like twice and then we move on! We also have to learn the boring backgrounds about how they got started, the countires they orriginated in, etc. and she lectures on that and we read about it. It's like a history class, and it's annoying. Anyways, not my favorite class, but whatever.
Class # 2. Geometry and Measurement for Elementary teachers
Not necessarily on what we're teaching them, it's the same material I learned my 10th grade years of geometry. And I'm thinking, "Really? Why?" She gave us a pop quiz on the 2nd day of class about what we learned the FIRST day and she says, "oh don't worry! It's easy, everyone will do fine!" Guess what I made. A 64. Yep. I'm angry. I have to say I'm thankful it's geometry and not algebra because I did better in geometry, so I'm trying to look at it that way. But I'm still not happy with the class.
Class #3. Integration of Exceptional Students.
Aka a special education class on how to deal with students with ADHD, disabilities, autism, etc. in the regular classroom. I think it will be a good class - helpful anyways - but so far it's been slow. There are some people in there that are SO RUDE and they talk when the teacher or another student is talking! And it's not a whisper! We're all so frustrated with it and today I said, "SHHHHHHH!!!!" really loud and they actually stopped. Dude, I'm about to snap with them. Next time I will seriously say something. We are not in high school anymore people. If you can't keep your mouth shut then leave. We're paying an arm and a leg to be here!!!
Class #4. Art in Education for elementary teachers.
So far we've only had one class, our 2nd one is tomorrow morning. I'm a creative person, but I don't really like doing art stuff. I'm not looking forward to the class, but hopefully I'll make an A.
Class #5. Preschool Cirriculum.
We've only met once, then there was Martin Luther King day and we didn't have classes, and he cancelled the for next Monday. So our 2nd class will be the following Monday. I'm irritated that I have to take this class because I want to teach 3rd grade (2nd and 4th would be ok too), and never preschool. I like playing with and baby-sitting that age, but not teaching a whole room full of them. But we'll be certified pre-k to 5th grade. We'll have to do 35 hours of field experience in a preschool with this class too. :-( There's a TON of work with this class and I don't like it.
Anyways, despite my non-excitement about my classes, I've been doing some other fun stuff on the side. Hanging out with people for once. Watching some TV / movies. I feel like I'm spinning plates on sticks, trying to keep them all balanced and spinning at once.....so now I'd like to try another plate - excersizing. I really hate to exersize, and even more the whole process of getting ready, and then showering and all that after, because my day is usually full and I don't have time or I don't want to shower there. But, I need to. The Wii Fit looks SOO COOL! But I don't have the money to get it. Ugh. Maybe someday. I'm baby-sitting 3 days a week right now, but will be doing it 4 days a week starting next week. Not always 4 days a week, but sometimes.
So, off I go to spin my plates and keep them balanced. Wish me luck!
Click on the pictures below to make them bigger.
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