The Canvas of God

You step into a room. It's your bedroom. Mentally note where your bed is, the dresser, maybe a desk, find the landmarks that make up this space. As you scan the room around you, you realize there's one thing out of place. It's not only large, but very bright as well and you wonder how you missed it to begin with. It's an easel, set up with a giant rectangular canvas. Someone has painted a beautiful picture of a vibrant blue sky, gentle white clouds are breaking up the summertime picture and across the center of this painting is one giant word. Painted in black, block letters it dominates your attention and draws you in. Not flashy by any means, but almost overbearing. The peaceful image of the sky offsets how demanding it is and seems to take your gaze from the sharp, abrupt edges of each letter. You take a couple steps closer, allowing yourself to enter your room now, being pulled towards this distinct image.

You stop in front of it and your heart starts to race with excitement. There's something here, you can feel it as the blood pounds through your body, reminding you of just how alive you are. Your breaths come a little bit faster and the slight pull you felt before becomes an overwhelming urge to simply bask in this appealing image, left here by... someone, for you to find.

The word is God and you are convinced you have found who you are in the shadow of the paintings image.

However, a small voice is whispering into your soul and while the painting is so distracting, and so appealing, you can't simply stand here. You follow the instructions of this gentle voice, and with a few hesitant steps, you walk around, and behind the easel.

Your closet door is open, and at first you're shocked to see all your clothes have been removed and there is nothing there. Only a dirty little square space, it's dark, and it's bare, and you realize why the painting was set up in the position it was, to hide this filthy little hole. No one would want to see that, it had to be covered by something. Something to grab your attention and keep your focus from what was hidden behind it.

The closet is you. The realization hits you like a freight train, and you stumble backwards, accidentally bumping the easel. Almost as if it's in slow motion, the easel and the precious painting it holds come crashing to the floor, revealing the inside of your closet to the world. Revealing who you really are. There's nothing you can do now, your cover has been ripped away, so you crawl, dejected and forlorn into your closet, and you sit on the floor. Knees clutched to your chest and head down. Shame. That is all you feel.

You've recognized the filth and shambles of this life you've been trying to lead and you cry out to this God you had so much hope in. Tears stream down your face as you realize you are broken and any sort of repair seems impossible.

Wait... wait, the still small voice is back. You lift your head and realize the light bulb hanging above you is glowing faintly and a peaceful calm settles over you. Jesus is here, sitting next to you, holding you in his arms. This place, this closet, with His presence it has changed. The light is growing stronger and shining from the cracks and open door. You no longer need this canvas to hide your heart. Jesus has changed who you are.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 

Life Update

First of all, I would like to say thank you to every one of you who reads these posts. I have been blown away by the response of love and support I've received from family and friends who have been reading this blog. All I can say is thank you and I feel very loved.

Campus in the Spring

As always, for all of us, life has been busy. Since the last update I posted here, I have finished my first semester and started the next. It was exciting to attend the graduation banquet and ceremony and try to imagine what thoughts will be running through my head when I'm the one standing in front of the crowd. With summer change, many of the students who are not taking classes through the summer have returned from whence they came, and campus life looks just a little bit different then what it was before. There are only about 30 students on campus so things have gotten a lot quieter. No more long lunch lines, or crowded halls. We're all on the same class and work schedule, so it seems easier to connect with each other.

It has been nice and it's taken me just a little bit longer to settle in, due to the fact that I went home for a weekend at the end of the first week of class. If you follow any of my social media accounts (Instagram anyone?) you're probably already aware that I did return to my home state for a brief visit. I went to be present at the birth of Noah Donovan. My best friends newest baby. She had scheduled an induction for that weekend, but due to some complications at the hospital, they weren't able to make it happen. Instead my friend and I spent three glorious days in the Oregon sunshine. It wasn't a completely wasted trip, as it was good to be able to spend time together, talking, laughing, and trying to understand what my (almost) three year old niece was saying.

Noah Donovan

Noah arrived last Saturday, healthy, adorable, and four days after his Auntie had left the area. We'll be having words about this in his future. No really though, this is probably the most exciting tidbit of information I have to offer you. I can't even begin to express how stoked I am that when I return home for my summer break (in a month!!!) I'll be able to hold this wonderful, squishy, little bundle of perfection.

In the mean time, I'll be starting a summer internship with the church that I've been attending in St. Paul. Today I sat down and figured out what my schedule will look like between the hours spent with my church, class, homework, and being in the call center. While I'll be busy, it wasn't overwhelming, and I'm excited to learn and grow from those who will be teaching me through the next couple of months. If you'd like to hear more about the internship and more of the specifics on what I'll be doing, I'll be giving more detail in my summer newsletter.

Benham Falls, OR

I am still on the look-out for a new vehicle. Some loving families at my church have generously donated a portion of finances to go towards a new set of wheels so I've been keeping my eye out for a car in the area that will fit my needs. In the mean time, I've taken up penny boarding. My best friend bought me a penny board (because she loves me) and within the first day of teaching myself the basics, I was on crutches due to a sprained ankle. Not to worry, after some rest and intense prayer, I am able to walk on my own. My foot is now a pretty gnarly shade of purplish/blue, but I'm excited to try skating again.

Last, but not least, I was accepted onto a team for my 16 month overseas internship, starting the beginning of my junior year. Look for an announcement on where that will be in my summer newsletter. I'm planning on sending it out around mid-June.

Speaking of my newsletter, if you're looking for more details on my church internship, and what I've been learning while at Bethany Global University, you can subscribe to receive it right now. (yay!)

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That's all for now, thank you so much for not only reading, but taking an interest in where I'm at and what I'm doing with my life! 

With Love, 

Trishelle

Is This Faith or Am I Living in Denial?

I've decided if I were ever to write a memoir, it would probably share a title with this post.

Do you know those spiritual gift tests that you can take? You number on a scale of 1 to 5 how true or untrue the statement is for you, and then you tally everything up in the end and whichever one has the highest score is your spiritual gift. We've done those a lot in the office at work to discover our strengths. We do it mainly because my supervisor is amazing and realizes that while weaknesses do need to be worked on, you have the strengths you do for a reason and those can't be ignored. So, we score ourselves from 1 to 5, tally the numbers, and in the end I always find myself staring this spiritual gift of faith in the face.

At first I kind of laughed and shook my head. Sure, I have faith in my friends, I have faith that the pizza man will deliver a round pie of perfection after I make the right call, and I have faith in God. That's not what we're talking about though, a spiritual gift of faith. That's intense faith, serious business. No way. Not me.

God and I have a great relationship. He tells me something, I tell Him to tell me more about that, and then He does. Very slowly and subtly, sometimes I don't even realizing it's happening. In this case, He spoke to me through my past. He walked me through a timeline of my life and as I looked at that fun and adventurous road He simply asked, "at what point did you doubt Me?" 

I have doubted many things in my life, but God has never been one of them. I have built walls between us, and I even turned my back and tried to ignore Him for awhile, but I always knew He was there. I always knew that in the end, His hand was in my life and He was sovereign. I have never doubted that my God is real. I always had faith in God, but there was a time in my life I denied Him my heart. 

If you've ever spent any amount of time around my best friend and I, you may have heard us at some point use the phrase, "I'm fiiiiiine." We say it in a certain tone, drawing out the I, as if trying to convince ourselves that we will, indeed, be fine. We usually say it in situations when we will clearly not be fine. The main reason we picked this little habit up is due to the fact that we both like to push sticky situations to the side. As long as I don't have to deal with it, things will be fine. Right? Ignore irritating emotions and eventually I'll be fine. Right? We recognize that there really isn't much that can be done in some instances, so we decide to ignore the problem. It'll be fiiiiiine. So far, we've always been.... relatively fine. We're both still breathing, so we've got that going for us.

So, as I look down at this paper in front of me. This cute little Christian cliche of a spiritual gifts test, I realize that I will be fine. While I was saying those words in denial of a problem I didn't want to face, God pulled through in the end. While I deny the problem, I know that God is present. I have always known this.

Is This Faith, or Am I Living in Denial; a memoir. Look for it at your local bookstore... just give me a couple decades to live the kind of life I want to write about.

With Love,
Trishelle

Goodbye to Arthur

Here I am again, returned from Spring Break awhile ago, and into the full swing of life here at BGU. This last weekend we had our Campus Preview Weekend. We have a great host of prospective students come and stay with us so they can get a feel for what life on campus is all about. It's fun and exciting because you get to meet so many new people who have the same calling to missions as yourself. However, for introverts such as myself, it can also be exhausting. After two days of life back to usual, I'm just now starting to feel like myself again.

If you received my newsletter, you may have read about what happened with my car over Spring Break. If you did not receive my newsletter and would like to, you can add yourself to the mailing list  right here, right now.

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If you did not hear about what happened to my car, let me sum it up for you rather quickly. There was an unfortunate accident, and, well, you can see for yourself. My poor baby didn't fare so well. 

After several calls and discussions with insurance, they announced that it was a total loss. I cried. I cried a lot. I don't cry very often, but when I heard they couldn't fix my car I really, really cried. I loved my car. It wasn't just a set of wheels and a gas tank, his name was Arthur, and he was my partner in crime. We had some great adventures. 

I cried even more when I found out I would not be seeing any of the insurance money. While it was fully covered, I still owed money on the vehicle. This now meant I would no longer have my Ol' Faithful, but I would be completely without a car. 

If you are somewhat familiar with me, and who I am, in general, as a person, you may have noticed that I have a fairly strong independent streak that runs right through the center of my heart. I'm what some people might call a free-spirit, an adventurer, and I don't really need you to do my exploring. In fact, I really like doing it on my own. It's not that I don't like you, but going on adventures by myself is how I destress. It's a huge part of how I refocus my brain and keep myself moving in the right direction. 

Here's the thing though, when I decided to follow God and come to Minnesota, I gave Him one condition. "As long as I have a car. As long as I'll be able to keep my freedom." He didn't really have much to say in return, but I was able to get my car and happily headed off to the freezing tundra. 

God saw things I wasn't willing to recognize though. He saw a wall I'd placed around my heart, and He saw pride. Pride in a hunk of metal and four tires. He saw a girl who was willing to give it all... except for her "freedom." He saw this, and He knew that she would never be able to live the life He'd called her too if it wasn't addressed. Sometimes God speaks in a gentle whisper, reminding you of who He is, and what He would like to see from you. Sometimes, a car comes from nowhere and smacks your pride and joy, leaving it useless and forcing you take a step back and reexamine yourself.

I realized I needed to stop holding the idea of who I am in my car. My freedom and independence, my free-spirit, my solitary expeditious ways, that wasn't what mattered. What mattered was that I was holding all of that one level above the call I have in my life. I had conditions that needed to be filled in order for me to obey.

So, now I'm trusting Him to provide transportation. It has been a struggle for me, to ask other people for a ride, when I'm the one who is generally able to offer the rides. It's been a struggle to not be able to grab my keys and just go. It's been a struggle when I feel trapped in one spot. I'm struggling guys, but at the same time, I'm learning that my identity isn't within what car I drive, or where that car can take me. It's in what Jesus Christ did for me on calvary and how far this story of true love can take me. 

With Love, 

Trishelle

Montessori

Tonight I will be on Oregon ground, once again. Praise the Lord for Spring Break.

Anyway, I wanted to show you these videos. I've just finished my two week elective Montessori class. It has only confirmed how I've felt about education since I was old enough to have an opinion about it. Give your children the chance to flourish. Put them at the center of their education, not the teacher or the system, telling them they aren't at the right level.

Let your children follow their passions. They'll go so much further then you ever imagined.

With Love,

Trishelle

Life Update

This is going to be a quick update on my life thus far at Bethany Global University. Quick because I have several homework assignments I need to be working on; but while homework is important, so my dear readers, are you. I may get busy, but I do want to keep you all in the loop, so here we go.

Today we did not have class. It was Day Set Apart. This is a day that we have once a semester. The campus puts everything on hold, and pauses to praise and worship God. We spent a lot of time in prayer, lifting our school and all the mission outreaches we are partnering with, in prayer. It was peaceful for me. To be able to take the time they gave us today, and simply praise my Heavenly Father.

Call Center Team

On the normal days, you can find me either in the classroom, chugging tea and frantically scribbling notes; or in the call center. Every student is given a practical training assignment when they start at BGU. That's pretty much just an on campus job, it has several purposes, but the main ones are as follows...

1. They don't have to hire and pay people to do the things students can do. They take our pay out of our tuition. This is one of the reasons why BGU is able to be a tuition-paid school. 
2. You are able to start learning how to serve, right here on campus. Sometimes you're assigned a PT assignment that you really didn't want, but guess what, sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do. 

My practical training assignment is to be an admissions counselor in the call center. (Yep, I'm that one random person you don't know who just keeps calling) When I got here, it was the one place I knew I would be the most uncomfortable in and of course, this is where I was assigned. Funny part, I never told anyone that being a caller is what would grow me the most. God just knows these things.

Minnehaha Falls

God knew I would grow, but He also knew I would be blessed. The people I work with in that office are some of the most amazing women I've ever met. They're brave. They're funny. They're passionate. They're tenacious. They're the kind of people I want to do life with.

Also, special shout out to Silvia. My amazing boss and friend back home. Her training in sales and business gave me an amazing base to launch off of in the call center. Thanks for teaching me those life skills lady!

Otherwise, I've been plugging away at homework, co-teaching a bible class to a bunch of kids every Wednesday night, and going on random adventures. Sometimes that include scrambling down frozen staircases to crawl into the jaws of a frozen waterfall (yay, Minnesota), or visiting coffee shops that have pictures of goats on the wall.

I would make this a little longer and give you all more details, but I've put off my worldview's papers long enough. I'm writing one on Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, and the other on Phoebe Buffay who is lovable and adorable, but also overwhelmingly New Age. Should be fun.

Love and miss everyone back home.  I miss Smith Rock and its beautiful red face. I miss my coffee shops, and being a nanny. I miss the girls I used to work with at Gymboree, and I miss the Old Mill. I miss my Costco people, and I miss going out with friends to talk about life. I miss so much, but I'm happy.

With Love,
Trishelle

The Moment Your Nose Hairs Freeze

I think we all knew that a post about the cold was coming. Anyone who has known me over a good course of time would be able to tell you I'm not a fan of any temperature below 50 degrees. I like warmth, I like the sun, I like country music blaring when my windows rolled down. I like ice in my coffee, and sunbathing on the river bank. I'm a summer child.

Then I moved to Minnesota. 

Before I made the (almost) 2,000 mile cross country drive, I handled the idea of moving to the north in one way. I didn't think about it. When I did I just kept telling myself that I would adjust. Bring enough layering pieces and all would be well. 

My first weekend in Minnesota really wasn't that bad. In fact, the temperature here was warmer than it was back home, which I found fairly ironic. This quickly changed however and very suddenly there was a whisper (it was more like screams, wails, and gnashing of teeth) throughout the dorm. Something akin to, "it's going to be -11 degrees tomorrow."  

I did what my best friend has taught me to do over the last couple of years when I'm unsure about something, which was shrug and say "it'll be fiiiiiiiiiiine," then promptly escort the thought out of my mind. 

Right up until I stepped outside and the hair inside my nose promptly froze. I don't know, dear reader, if you've ever had the opportunity to experience frozen nose hair. At first, you don't exactly realize that's what's happened because you're too focused on the fact that your face is in pain, simply from exiting the building. Somewhere, however, in the midst of wondering why anyone lives in a place where being outdoors causes pain to your face, you sniff once, maybe twice... and then three times. When the realization hits you that the hair INSIDE your nose has stiffened and hardened due to the cold, you really begin to rethink your life choices. Why Minnesota? 

Going to a missions school, I guess it would be expected that I learn a lot about the bible, and religion, and prayer, and I guess I have been learning a lot in those areas, but there are two main lessons I've learned about God in the last couple of weeks. 

1. He is strategic 
2. He has a great sense of humor

Bethany was founded in 1945 by five families who sold everything they had and moved into a 30 room house which they called "Bethany House." The house was in Minneapolis. Now, there are several reasons I think God thought this would be a suitable location for what He knew would grow into something so much bigger, but I think He really must have smiled to Himself when He put it in Minnesota. 

I think He was smiling because He knew 71 years later, an Oregonian girl with a summertime heart, would step out of her dorm room, her nose hairs would freeze, and she would proceed to converse with Him. 

"Why Minnesota God?"
 
"Why not Minnesota?"

"It's freezing. My face hurts because it's so cold." 

"You knew it would be cold, yet you still came." 

"You asked me to." 

He didn't answer, but I know, I just know, He smiled to Himself.


With Love,
Trishelle

First Week!

Today closes my first week at Bethany Global University. Already, within this first week, I have a quiet peace within me that tells me I am in the right place. I look out my window at the snow (yay, Minnesota), see the trees moving in the wind, and I know that when I step outside my face will hurt because it's so cold. Yet, I still know that this is where I belong at the moment. Despite the cold, despite the 1,770 miles that separates me from my beloved Oregon and all the loved ones who are there, despite it all, this is where I need to be.


My roommate and I became friends within the first day of knowing each other, and since then have continued to realize if we have to share a living space with someone, we got the right person. We've had a little more time in the last couple of days to explore the city of Minneapolis and have had even more of a chance to get to know each other.

Today we got some Indian food in the Midtown Global Market and discussed our love for Africa. Our love for the beautiful landscape, the pleasantly simple culture, the smiles on the peoples faces, and the hospitality we found there. In that moment I saw her eyes light up, and heard the joy in her words and  she was stunningly beautiful, speaking of her passion. In that moment I knew I couldn't have chosen a better roommate for myself.

Yesterday we had the chance to walk around The Mall of America. We were very much like kids in a candy store. Almost everything we saw excited us, and we snapped plenty of pictures to text to family. Also, I discovered David's Tea which made me insanely happy. We brought back childhood memories by walking through American Girl, decided when we are slightly less poor college students we will ride some rollercoasters, and visit the aquarium. We also walked until our feet hurt, but it was worth it.

Our first day of class was yesterday, and while I'm nervous to get into the full swing of things (Monday, woot woot), I'm also excited. It's been so long since I've done any schooling that I'm just ready to learn again, and I already know I will come away from each period having learned something new.

I'm excited. I can't wait to see how I grow here. What I will learn, and to see the person I will become. Already I've met so many amazing people that I know will become important figures in my life.

With Love,
Trishelle

The Books

In my mind, books are held at a very large value. I respect them, they are to be treated in an almost reverent manner. They are my constant companions, and one of the few things I own that I actually take a great amount of pride in. I would never hesitate to say that the people I've come across during my lifetime are the biggest factor of shaping me into who I am. I also wouldn't hesitate to say that the books I've read come at a very close second.

There are people who have inspired my journey, and gently pushed me to pursue a life that made a difference in other peoples lives (thank you Mommy), but a book was the tool used to make up my mind on where I wanted to go. Granted, it was a book about a person, but the words on the page, written about someone I admire, changed me into who I am. That book enabled me to set my life goals, and to read about someone who I could look up to.

All that being said, it will not be practical for me to take my personal library with me to Minnesota. Having to live in a confined space (such as a dorm room), makes an avid believer of paper and ink realize the reasonable functionality of a Kindle (as much as I hate to admit it).

Even so, I have been mentally compiling a small list of books that I will be taking with me. I don't care if I can get the ebook version, it's not the same thing. Not when you've felt every page between your fingers, you've scanned every letter of every chapter, and you know where the big red stain on page 132 came from (ketchup and books don't mix). These books are my friends, they are my supporters, they make me think, laugh, cry, and inspire me to be me. I draw courage simply by looking at their covers, holding them in my hands is therapeutic. 

If I can help it, these books will never leave my retinue. 

Audrey Hepburn: An Elegant Spirit 

The biography of Audrey Hepburn, written by her son Sean Ferrer. The subtitle of this book is perfect, I don't think there was ever a more "elegant spirit" then Audrey Hepburn. I read this book in one day. Granted, that's not hard, there were a lot of pictures and it's not super long, but I got it from the library and proceeded to read for the next 5 hours. I didn't want to put it down. This woman inspires me in so many ways, and you can feel the love her son had for her in the words he wrote. I have since read many other books and articles on Audrey Hepburn, and not one has contradicted the character Sean wrote his Mother to be. You know that question, "if you could have dinner with one famous person, who would it be?" My answer is Audrey Hepburn. 

Chasing Chaos: My Decade in and out of Humanitarian Aid

This is the memoir (which has probably become one of my favorite genres of all time) of Jessica Alexander. As the title of the book states, she is in and out of the humanitarian aid scene for 10 years and this book highlights the hardships and struggles, as well as the bright and meaningful moments that kept her moving forward. I loved this book because of how real Jessica's struggle was. She laid it out for the reader. Humanitarian aid isn't all rainbows and saving babies. It sucks. It hurts. It doesn't just push you to your breaking point, it pushes you beyond that and then expects you to stand up again and keep going. I love this woman. I adore her story. She's like a Mom telling a small child to "sit on your butt" in the chair. I know you want to stand, spread your arms and pretend you're flying, but let's get real, that's going to hurt like hell when you eventually fall. 

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnrable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead. 

If you're into the whole TED Talk scene, you may be familiar with the name Brene Brown. She wrote Daring Greatly, and I don't think I have ever underlined more passages in a book then in this one. The core of what she's saying can be summed up in this quote, "Rather than sitting on the sidelines and hurling judgement and advice, we must dare to show up and let ourselves be seen. This is vulnrability, this is daring greatly." With this she challenges you to change society, by changing your attitude. 

To Timbuktu: Nine Countries, Two People, One Story

I need to read this book again. It's so adorably perfect that I feel like I should read it at least once a year. Written by Casey Scieszka and illustrated by Steven Weinberg, the couple tells the story of how they met, fell in love, and went on a wild adventure. Their story is fascinating and Steven's illustrations are some of the cutest I've seen. If you just went by the pictures you would probably assume it was a children's book. Adventure, romance, cute illustrations, what more could you ask for?

Preemptive Love: Pursuing Peace One Heart at a Time
Okay, so I actually almost forgot to add this book to the list, because it has been a little while since I've read it, BUT I can't believe I almost forgot to add this book to this list. The thing is, there has never been a book that I've read that's made me think, "YES! THIS IS WHAT IS ON MY HEART!" This book did. It pretty much sums up the concept of "love first, ask questions later." Following the story of Jeremy Courtney (the author) and his family as they give up everything to live in Iraq and help children in need of medical attention. This book blew my mind.

I'm sure I'll come up with a couple more "can't live withouts" before I leave. (Maybe I am Malala, which I just bought but haven't read yet?)  This pretty much sums it up. These and a couple of my favorite fiction books, such as my Charles Dickens, Sherlock Holmes, and Ted DekKer collections.

"One must always be careful of books 

and what is inside them, for words 

have the power to change us." 

-Cassandra Clare

With Love,
Trishelle

The List

Okay, so, I'm one of those people who likes to act like I have a plan months in advance, but in reality, I'm always just as rushed and panicked as anyone else at crunch time. Actually, I almost always have a plan, a great plan... It's following through with the plan and making sure the steps actually happen that I fail (miserably) at.

Anyway, I have a plan, for this whole college thing. I've been thinking ahead, for when I move half way across the country (totally excited about that, not freaking out at all btw). It involves a casual process of beginning my packing/prepping now. I don't leave till after Christmas, and some people would say I'm kind of rushing things. "Sit back, relax, you've got four months." 

Hahahahaaha, oh yeah, four months, plenty of time..... NO.

Let me put it this way. On a typical work week, I have.... No days off. Yeah, that sounds about right. I do tend to have one or two short days, four or five hour shifts. Four months roughly translates to 112 days. That's 2,688 hours. Take away 896 for the 8 hours of sleep I'm supposed to get every night (lol), and I have 1,792 hours. Take away the estimated 48 hours of work I do in a week and I'm down to 1,024 hours. That's about 43 days (rounded up) before I leave. I'm willing to bet that at least one day a week I will be distracted by friend/family events. Well, sure I need to pack, but so and so really wants to go see that movie and hey, so do I. Not to mention, I haven 't been to my grandparents in months... That's got to happen at least a couple times before I go. 

27 days. Let's get real, when I say one day a week I really mean two (I love my people, what can I say). Also, in about two weeks one of my besties from out of state is going to come stay with me. While she's here I foresee myself getting nothing done (aside from having mega amounts of fun that is) so that's 7 more days I won't have. 

4 days to pack up and take off. Woooooooot. Yeah, I'm starting now. Plus, if I get as much done now as I possibly can, when it comes down to the week of Christmas and my last days here, I can take some extra time to chill.... Right.... Right guys? 

All that to say, I sat down last night and read over some very helpful "what no one tells you about packing for freshman year" articles and compiled a list of things to buy starting now. 

-  good winter/work boots. Waterproof and not too ugly, I know I shouldn't be worrying about fashion, but they're boots and I am female. Plus I don't want them to be too heavy. I hate bulky shoes they make me feel like I have weights on my feet.

- a good winter coat. Every time I tell someone that I'm moving toMinnesota, they all say the same thing, "bring a good coat!" Today, when I was at the park with the kids, I ran into a lady from Minnesota. I told her I would be moving there in January and she laughed... Then proceeded to tell me about good coat brands. She told me about one and followed up with, "it's really warm, you can stand outside for a good 20 minutes without getting cold!" .... 20 minutes? I have 20 minutes outside before I lose a life. This to a girl who lives outdoors. Yay. 

- heated blanket. I hate being cold. I love my bed. Two things that should never EVER mix is being cold while I'm in my bed. Just no. Of course I'll bring lots of other blankets too, but this is for when I'm already under a pile of 10 and can still feel the chill in my toes because I was outside for 21 minutes. 

- twin size sheets. My bed is a double, gonna need some sheets to fit the dorm mattress. Yvonne Estelle's Sferra Milo's sheet set, obvi. 

- earplugs. I'm a light sleeper, breath too close and you will disturb my slumber. Not the best fit for dorm life. 

- shower caddy ... Cause duh 

- rug. This one is kind of optional. Rugs are cool, they add a homie feel but they don't really take up any extra space. 

- "Tide to Go" pen, or any kind of easy on the spot stain remover. I don't want my style to turn from "grunge" to "gross." 

- Clorox wipes and febreeze. Yay, dorms! 

- power strip

- cheapo printer and some ink. Yes, they have printers on campus, but I kind of feel like this will be a cheaper option in the long run. Another optional item though. 

So far that's all I've got. Not too overwhelming, but only if I can start now, that way I won't be spending all the money in one go. Obviously this isn't all I'll be bringing, just the things I don't already own. 

Any suggestions? Advice? I know there are stores in Minnesota (Mall of America, woot) but I want to have as much of it as possible beforehand. The less I have to worry about when I get there, the better.

With Love,
Trishelle

"Wait"

It's taken me awhile to write this post. For several reasons. The first and always the most obvious, I have been busy, as usual. I feel like I barely have time to breath, let alone find a little spot of wifi to update the rest of the world on how busy I am.

The second was because I didn't want to. 

In my last, and first post, I informed the internet world that I would be attending Bethany Global University this Fall. This is no longer the case. 

While still planning to attend BCOM, I have had to reset my arrival date. As of right now I am looking to start 2016 Winter term. 

Why? 

The easiest answer to give is a lack of finances. While I could have looked into several loan options and made it work, I wanted to take a few extra months to set some more money aside.  This is what I tell people when they want the brief answer. 

To get a little more in-depth though, there was more to it than money. I felt the need to wait. While I'm still trying to figure out where this feeling came from, it was there, and it was very present. I felt no peace when I thought about leaving at that time. In fact, I would have been leaving any day now. I took long walks. I prayed. I ran. I slept on it. I walked some more.  

"Wait." 

That was all I heard. 

I don't know why. I don't know if it was the right choice. I don't know if it was the wrong one. Either way, my goal is still set. My mission still stands. The timeline has simply taken a small remodel.

With Love,
Trishelle

My Mission

In 1992, Audrey Hepburn traveled to Somalia to do some humanitarian work. It would be the last trip she would take, before her death three months later.

"I have seen famine in Ethiopia and Bangladesh, but I have seen nothing like this - so much worse than I could possibly have imagined. I wasn't prepared for this. It's so hard to talk about because it's unspeakable." 

These were her words upon her return, and they struck my heart. I had always known that I wanted to travel the world, and share what little I, as a single woman, have to offer, but the world was a big place, and trying to figure out where I was headed and how I was going to get there, was holding me back more than I realized. Until I read those words.

I read Audrey Hepburn: A Beautiful Spirit, in one day. I picked it up from the library, not knowing it would change my life within the next couple of hours. I picked it up thinking to myself that it would be a light read, not something I would devour from cover to cover.

By the end of that day I knew that Audrey Hepburn had accomplished something in her life, that I can only dream about doing in mine. In her 63 years, she touched so many lives for the better, simply by living her life in a fashion that expressed love for human kind.

So, my life took an unexpected turn. While I always knew I wanted to do something different, it had never had such a direct path. Something to strive for. I knew I wanted to continue Hepburns work in Somalia, now I just had to figure out how.

Enter Bethany Global University. After three months of spending countless amounts of time on Google, and looking up various schooling options, this was the one that stuck out to me in an unforgettable way. October of 2014, my Mom and I flew to Minnesota to visit the school, and meet the people. We both loved it.

I will be attending BGU starting Fall 2015, to earn my bachelor of arts in theology and intercultural missions, with a minor in early childhood education. The schools program will have me in the dorms In Minnesota for two years (no I don't like the cold, no I'm not prepared), followed by a 16 month internship overseas.

My mission is to go to Somalia. My passion is for children. My religion is to love. Please follow me on my journey. Please pray that my God would give me the courage I need to succeed. Also, my least favorite request, while my acting skills are obviously not as well rounded as those of Audrey Hepburn, I must seek funding for my mission from other resources. If you have some extra dollars, please consider providing financial support. Any donations will go directly to school bills.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

With Love,
Trishelle