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

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