Year 1 is almost done!

Hi friends!! Can you believe it's May already?? I realize I have been really bad about making updates to my blog about grad school, but I wanted to take some time to share with you a little of the journey I've been on these last 9 months.

One of the biggest things I have come to understand about grad school is that it is not nearly as challenging academically as it is personally (emotionally, mentally, and spiritually). Grades have been nothing hard for me here, but overcoming my own struggles, feelings of worthlessness and helplessness, and being extremely, truly on my own have been mountains for me to climb. Praise the Lord for His eternal faithfulness! It has become so apparent to me here that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing because I am under constant, daily attack from the enemy to still my progress at Grace. If that doesn't confirm that you're in God's will, nothing will!

I was asked tonight what the biggest thing is that I have learned this year, and my response after a few seconds of thinking was humility. This program has been a season of learning to be secure in how terrible I am at counseling sometimes; realizing that I often fall into the pattern of living in gossip, strife, and pride when all God wants from me is to acknowledge my weaknesses and my need for His strength. He has given me gifts and skills to be in relationship with hurting people, but the truest healing still comes from God; I just happen to be the vessel He has chosen to use in some people's lives.

As this semester comes to a close, I look at my journey through Grace thus far, and I realize that I am no where near the same person I was when I came here. While I still have the same compassion for the hurting and desire to have impact on the world around me, I have also grown immensely in my faith, in my confidence, in relationship building, and in awareness of who I am in Christ. I praise the Lord for the journey He has allowed me to have in this first year.

So here's a little snapshot of what I've been doing and what is coming up for me...

• Mentor two freshmen girls that attend Grace as undergrads - what a joy they have been for me!
• Became a member of New Life Christian Church and World Outreach - I LOVE MY CHURCH!!
• Serve in New Life's infants room a couple of times a month - gotta get my baby fix somehow!
• Serve on New Life's altar ministry team where I get to practice my faith and intercessory gifts.
• Completed my practicum at Four County Counseling Center working with severely mentally ill adults and behaviorally impaired children and adolescents.
• Work part-time at the local YMCA where I am able to minister Christ to our community.
• Blessed with a couple of good, close friends - one in my program and two at New Life.
• Become super familiar with rural Indiana, random county roads, and driving alongside the Amish.

And next year...

• I will be interning in the counseling center at Bethel College in Mishawaka, Indiana, where I will have the opportunity to work with a wide variety of clients with an emphasis in eating disorders, trauma, sexuality, and spiritual issues.
• I will continue to serve and attend New Life as God directs. They have become my family here and I intend to continue giving and receiving of the Lord through their ministry.
• Who knows?! God is always creative and unpredictable :)

Update 10.16.14

I realize it's been a long time since I last posted, so I figured I'd give everyone an update on grad school. I am working on a more in-depth post that I will try to have up this weekend.

1. Moving went great! I am living in a studio apartment on the second floor of an older house, and it is quintessential vintage. I absolutely love it, minus the fact that I have to go to the laundromat every once in awhile. [I have mastered the art of doing laundry in the kitchen sink to save $$!]  I got a new oven a couple weeks ago and I am so blessed to have it working, although I still have bad dreams of it not working :/

2. I just completed my first session of classes, and the second session started this week. Our program is broken down into semesters, and then those semesters are split into two 8-week sessions. I attend class for four hours at a time two days a week (total of 12 hours), so I complete 15 credits/semester. [BTW, most grad programs have you doing 9 credits/semester, so this program kind of kicks your butt if you don't watch out!]

3. Finals for Session A went well and I got A's in all 3 classes for the session. If you didn't see my post on Facebook about the grading scale, to give you an idea, a B- is failing, so we have to earn a B or better (an A cuts off at 93%) to pass the class. The grading scale is much like MCA's was, except that MCA didn't consider a B- failing (thank God, right?!).

4. The classes I am in now are really intense. Grad school for counseling isn't just about learning the profession. It is so much more about learning about yourself [see my later post mentioned above]. So, this weekend, as I travel home to Minnesota for the first time since August, I am not only overjoyed to see my family, but I am excited to see what light they can shed on my experiences here so far.

Overall, things are going great. Of course, there are always the ups and downs of learning something new, but part of this process is learning to accept those and move on. God's grace is sufficient, and I am reminded of that every time I remember that He sent me to Grace College!

Love and miss you all!!

77 Days!!!

Well, guys, it's official - the countdown has begun!! To say I'm a little excited is an understatement, but as we all know, with excitement also comes a little bit of unsureness. I definitely wouldn't classify it as anxiety, but I think, as with any new adventure, we all feel a little bit of discomfort thinking about all the changes that are coming along with it.

Since my last update, I finally got my Windows Surface that was my Christmas/Birthday/Grad gift from my parents and grandparents, so I am very thankful to have it and get used to using it before I'm using it every day in class! I also gave my minivan, Penelope, back to my parents and bought my beautiful first car, Sydney, a 2007 Chevy HHR LT. Sydney and I have a lot of adventures planned for the summer, but most of it includes going to work 4 days a week.

For the month of June, I am working on apply for an assistantships with a non-profit counseling center in Kosciusko County and a couple scholarships from Grace College. I received my financial aid award letter and I hate the idea of taking out my first student loans, but such is life of a grad student. Hopefully I am able to pull off a couple more scholarships to add to the $500/semester they already awarded me. The applications are due June 15, so keep reminding me about them when you think of it!!

In July, Mom and I will make the trek down to Winona Lake to look at a couple housing options and sign the lease for my first year as a Grace student! I'm pretty excited and have been working on being patient until the time comes for us to go back.

The unofficial plan is for me to move on August 14, and classes begin August 18 with all day orientation. I am looking forward to hopefully making some new friends and getting involved in the church down there right away so I start off on the right foot! Much love and prayers would be appreciated during the preparation and transition of the move and starting my Master's program!! Honestly, as I write that, it doesn't feel real at all, and I don't feel old enough to say I'm a Master's student; but it is real, I am old enough, and here we go!!

FYI, I will be having a going away party in August, so I look forward to seeing all of my friends and family there before I head out for 2 years!! I'll send out proper invites when we get closer :)

Fall Classes and Apartment Update

Things are starting to shape up and become real over here with my big move to Indiana! Yesterday I spent my morning calling a long list of potential apartments/rooms for rent, and I found one that I am super excited about. It isn't official yet, but I am first on their waiting list and I just need to get back down there for a tour and an interview to claim the spot! It is renting a room from a couple (empty nesters) that have a large home near the main lake. Their children are grown and moved out, so they rent 6 bedrooms and bathrooms out to girls who are going to Grace College. It is such a fabulous situation and I am believing it works out as God intends. Prayers for that would be MUCH appreciated!!

I also got my fall class schedule. At Grace, we do 8 weeks of class, then switch classes for another 8 weeks to make a full semester. So the classes are fast and intense, but they only last the 8 weeks before you get to move on to a new subject.  Each class meets for 4-6 hours per week all in one time slot. It makes for long days but I'm excited for the conversation and learning that I'll be doing there!! My classes for Fall Session A are: Theological Foundations; Counseling Skills I; Ethical and Legal Issues; Addictions; Internship; and Prayer in Counseling. For Fall Session B I have: Foundations of Clinical Mental Health Counseling; Counseling Skills II; Psychopathology; Marriage and Family; Internship; Social and Cultural Issues; and Cross Cultural Field Experience. The classes are going to be great!!

I haven't heard anything back on the scholarship yet, but it's only been a week, so I should know by next week for sure! In the meantime, I am applying for some other scholarships, grants, and loans as well.

Scholarship Competition

This week, Wednesday, was the scholarship competition at Grace College for the MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. My dad and I traveled from MN on Tuesday, hitting snow in Wisconsin and traffic in Chicago despite efforts to avoid it. All day Wednesday, I was at Grace meeting other students and the program faculty, participating in an interview, doing an essay portion, attending a class, taking a campus tour, meeting a current student, and going to the fanciest restaurant in the entire city area with all the other candidates. It was an amazing experience that made me even more excited to be at school at Grace in the fall!

Today we spent the day looking at apartments and driving around Winona Lake, Warsaw, and Wabash. We looked at cars, found a couple credit unions that could be an option, and saw some of the prettiest old-fashioned southern houses in the area. Now we are spending our last night in Marion with Ashley before we head back home tomorrow. We went to a really great crepe place and are at the hotel relaxing now. In all, it's been a really great week and I've learned a lot about what it will be like to get down here in August. Definitely going to be trusting God for all of this to fall into place!!

New Adventures

Well, I have begun the process of finding an apartment, buying a car, and becoming a full fledged adult. It's crazy to think that in less than a month I'll be in Indiana competing for a scholarship and signing papers on a place to live for 2 years. I was finally approved for my first credit card, so here begins the process of establishing credit. I hate the fact that everything in this world depends on having a credit card, but so life goes, and so I concede. I am feeling really confident, excited, and at peace with the choices I have coming up to make. Part of me is becoming impatient as I have to wait till August to get on the wagon of grad school and really start doing what I know God has called me to.

I am finding great peace and the strength to wait in knowing that God doesn't only call us to dreams and desires in our future, but also to dreams and desires in our present moments. That being said, I am fully embracing this place God has put me in for these next few months. I am working on my membership application for Living Word and registered for the volunteer development classes so that I can become involved in volunteer ministry there. I am praying about God's placement for my gifts at church and believe He is going to use my heart for intercessory prayer in some capacity with the 5th service or young adult ministry. I am also learning to bring a life of prayer into my daily job as a mental health professional, learning how to trust that the Holy Spirit will give me the words to say to speak into my clients' lives in any way I am able without overstepping the bounds of professionalism. Lastly, I am looking forward to taking in every moment I get to spend with my family, especially my amazing parents and sister(s), before I jump in to this huge adventure that will take me 12 hours from those I am closest to. I believe God is going to continue using these last months before my move to greatly impact my heart and use me as a vessel for His love in others' lives.

On the practical side of things, I am working on deciding what kind of car I want to buy and how much of a budget I can allot to that; I have found a couple ideas on houses/apartments in Indiana to rent; I have decided on a church to call my home while I am going to school; I am brushing up on my Spanish (as I will be living in a highly Hispanic/Latino community in Warsaw, IN); and I am making arrangements for Dream to have the best life he possibly can while I am gone. If you are curious about the findings I have made thus far, have a glance at the links I have posted below. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support as I follow God's call on my life.

The Beginning

While I still have several months before I head off to begin my new life in Indiana, I wanted to get the blog up and going so you all can know where I'm at in my journey to get to Grace. The latest news is that I have paid my enrollment, received my official Grace student email, and am awaiting word on scheduling my classes for the fall! I will also be traveling to Grace to compete for scholarships the first week of April. I plan to look for housing and apply for a few jobs while I'm there, too.

Although I am so thrilled and excited about this next step on my journey, I am doing my very best to stay engaged and excited about the present. I wouldn't want to wish away my time at home with my family for anything, so I am living to the fullest here while I can. I have fully embraced my room rather than living as if I have a foot in each of two "homes," which makes my bedroom so much more functional and a LOT less frustrating!! I also start a new job this week doing mental health emergency response - a true blessing from God as I watch His favor provide new opportunities to me every day!

I hope you all enjoy learning and growing with me as I experience what it truly means to Journey through Grace!!

 wh