SO for today I chose to tell you about my FASET (orientation) experience and other thoughts for college.
FASET was a lot of fun and actually very informative.
Yes, the sessions were repetitive (but I need to be told things more than once) and sometimes boring, but it gave me a lot of peace about living on my own and I think it gave my mom a lot of peace about me living on my own also. Looking at the social aspect, it was okay. Your average person is pretty decent at meeting new people so it was probably a nice environment for them but I, as I am sure you are aware, am not you average person and am therefore terrible at meeting new people. I did, however, get to see some people from high school that I hadn't seen in a while (including a few I didn't even know were going to tech) and catch up with them, which is always nice. And Brad was there, and he's better at meeting people than I am, so he made it easier. Actually one guy that he met, Jason, hung out with me that night at the social and he was really neat. After hanging out for a couple of hours he randomly turns to me and goes "So your a Chrstian?" and I was like "Well, yes" and he was like "Neat!" and then we spent the rest of the night talking about our faiths and how we came to know the awesome love of God. It was so random but wonderful and meeting him really ministered to my spirit. It sounds silly but during the course of the night I started to feel very lonely (which is so silly and such a spiritual attack). My FASET leaders were telling the kids where to get alcohol and how to get fake IDs and I just felt very sad for all of them and angry at the leaders for opening up all of the doors for these kids to mess up their lives. College will be very different, I think. But God reminded me that night that He uses people like Jason and I to salt the Earth to spread his love. Not so that we may clump together but so that we may spread the flavor. I think the college environment will stimulate a lot of growth in my walk with Jesus.
Another neat person that I met was my FASET roommate, Hilary. We stayed up so late talking about life and family and college. She was so easy to talk to and very unassuming. It was very relaxing to be around her. I have no idea where her heart is with God, but He still used her to touch me. I would not be sorry to know her better at tech this fall. She has a beautiful soul and a very good eye for people.
So I thought I did pretty well for having intimate conversations with two new people that I met. Of course I met others as well that i talked to for like five minutes. I met a kid named Pierce who went to GAC and lives on the floor above me in Caldwell and another girl who was in my FASET group who has done every teenage stereotypical "bad" thing and is very proud of that fact and will gladly tell you all about it. But as heartbreaking as it was, her honesty was refreshing and her smile was sincere. I liked her very much although she only had eyes for Zach Dreybus (who introduced us), so we didn't talk for very long.
Going to college will be the same type of jump from middle to high school only this time I will be prepared in for the shock in the openness of sin. Ever since leaving Metropolitan my faith has always been my own and so I am not worried about feeding myself. I am not worried so much about finding the comfort of a good christian group, although the teachings will be helpful and the fellowship encouraging, I am more worried about accomplishing the purpose that God is sending me to tech to fulfill. I am constantly aware of my inadequacy as a vessel for God's use. That is why it is so awesome that I serve a God powerful enough to work despite my weaknesses and failures.
Lord Give me your strength as I enter this next chapter of my life,
not strength to necessarily succeed,
But strength to delight in suffering and uncomfortableness...
because I know you are using it to shape me.
Strength to see you in my failures...
because the one who is in me is greater than the one who is in the world
Strength to remember the battle is already won...
and that a day will come when I will call you husband
Strength to fight the good fight...
Because the harvest is plenty but the workers are few
Strength to take up my cross and put off the old self...
for a seed must die before it multiplies.
Strength to enter a world full of darkness
and know the you, The Light, has already gone before me
I love you, Eylon
And I will follow you
for you are my savior
my king
my friend
and my protector
Gloria a Dios
SO Foster is the cutest kid in the history of children. He's absolutely beautiful and very active, I love him so much. I loved spending a week in the Dakin household just because of all the knowledge that I gain by watching the pair of them and how they are raising their family. I don't live in a household that walks with Christ and I certainly wasn't raised in one either and so that leaves me with a lot of questions about how I will raise my children. Obviously I learned certain things from my parents that are very important but I have no idea how to teach children the love of God and about having a deeply rooted faith. I have no role model or example to follow I only have the Spirit to guide me (which don't get me wrong, is MORE than enough), but I'm just not sure what a Jesus-serving household looks like or how it operates. SO it's really neat for me to live with Aly and JR for a week to see how their household is set up. Like right now, for instance, they've canceled their internet and television for the summer in order to save some money and purge their household of the messages of the world. Doing something like that in my household would be unheard of. And Aly prays in Foster's room every night as he is falling asleep that he would grow to be big and strong not only physically but in his faith also. 
