my best friend's wedding

In the '90s Julia Roberts starred in a movie, My Best Friend's Wedding. The audience was heart-broken as Julia's best friend (a handsome young man) fell in love with & married someone else. My best friend's wedding was no heart-break . . . it was a beautiful union between two amazing people.

For you to fully understand my friendship with Janessa, I'll have to start with a little history.

Janessa first visited Kansas City when we were in fourth grade. Her father was possibly taking a possition at the church, so she & her siblings were visiting the school. When she walked in I pounced on her, asked her to help me with my class project, & determined that she would be my friend. Her family moved to Kansas City that summer & we have been friends, best friends, ever since. We were virtually inseperable for the seven years that her family lived in Kansas City, with one exception: cheerleading. At the end of our junior year of high school, Mr. Van announced that the family would be moving to West Virginia. I was heart-broken, kinda like Julia Roberts' character, but for a different reason (after all, I wasn't hoping to marry my best friend). Due to pre-arranged plans, Janessa & her brother, Peter, stayed with my family the last two weeks of the summer before moving. Though we did next to nothing, those are the days that stick out most in my mind.

I never thought that the next time I visited her home it would be for my best friend's wedding.

Mom, Crys, & I left for West Virginia early Wednesday morning for an exciting weekend fully focused on my best friend's wedding. Wednesday night I spent the night with Janessa & some of her friends from West Virginia. We had fun watching movies, snacking, & playing games. My favorite part of the evening was not when there was lots of noise & people, but when we went to bed. Janessa & I stayed in a room together. Though I was tired from a long day (12 hours) of driving, nothing would have replaced being able to just talk with my best friend. Nothing in the world beats being able to talk with someone face-to-face.

Thursday Janessa & I set out on a "short" walk to the "near-by" convienience store for some slushies. The walk was a little further than JV thought, so when some of the girls drove by we did not hesitate to catch a ride to get our slushies & then headed to the mall to meet Aron & the guys. Mom & Crys met me at the mall & we hung out until it was time to head to the park for dress rehersal. Pastor Wiebe kept rehersal short & sweet so we could get to the delicious meal that Aron's parents prepared. As the party dissolved, some of the girls at rehersal begged to go out. The guys bummed out (claim of no money), so the girls went to an arcade. Once again it was great to spend time with Janessa & some of her friends, but we were all focused on one thing: my best friend's wedding.

Friday was a day with nothing scheduled . . . at first. Late Thursday night, Janessa, Aron, & Dan Moore, the photographer, decided to take the bride & groom pictures Friday afternoon instead of Saturday morning. Being both the maid-of-honor & Janessa's best friend, I volunteered to tag along & help wherever needed. So, Mom & I arrived at the Van's for breakfest. While Mom & Mrs. Van ran errands (like picking up the wedding gown) I did JV's hair & helped her primp for pictures. Before long the moms, the dress, the photographer, the sister, & the fiance' were all at the house getting ready for pictures. Before the beautiful bride came out into the livingroom, I called Aron into the room so he could see his bride in her wedding dress for the first time. I will never forget the look on his face . . . nor could I wait to get out of that room so they could have a minute alone. Before long we were driving around Huntington watching the photographer capture beautiful pictures of the bride & groom. No matter what was going on around them, their soul focus was each other. It was beautiful. I don't think it really sank in until that afternoon that the next day was my best friend's wedding.

After all the fun of driving from spot to spot, helping the bride in & out of the car, carrying the train & bouquet, & giving up my flip-flops so the bride could walk through the mud, Mom, Crys, & I went to the mall & Applebee's to enjoy a little time alone. Later that evening, Janessa came over & I did her nails, enjoying one last talk together as single friends. After she left, Mom, Crys, & I walked over to the church & helped the Van's set up the reception hall for the next afternoon. I went to bed at 1 a.m. excited about the next day: my best friend's wedding.

I woke up bright & early on Saturday excited about everything. Mom helped me finish my hair before we all headed over to the church to meet the rest of the bridal party as they primped & prepared for pictures. Though I had already seen Janessa in her wedding dress, helping her get ready for the wedding took my breath away . . . & not just mine, Aron's too. Though they had spent the previous day together in wedding garb, when Aron saw Janessa on Saturday morning, his eyes sparkled. The Lord truly blessed my best friend!

The ceremony was short & sweet with only one major hitch: the music being played at the wrong time (Viva la Vida during the sand ceremony). It was simply beautiful. I did not need Pastor Wiebe's encouragement to keep my eyes only on the bride; seeing her as a bride captivated all of my attention. The rest of the day seemed to fly by. The best part of the day, for me, wasn't part of the ceremony or being with everyone at the reception, but for 5 minutes at the end of the reception I was able to talk with Janessa alone.

May 30, 2009 was a wonderful beginning to, what I believe, a wonderful life. To you, it may not have been anything special, but for me, it was my best friend's wedding.

i saw Jesus in you

Another semester of college has ended. Though I am glad to be done with classes, home, & looking forward to the fun & excitement of summer, I know I will greatly miss 3 girls that the Lord has brought into my life. My life has radically changed since meeting them, because in everything they did, I saw Christ.

I entered my sophomore year of college with both excitement & reservations--just as you would do if you knew you were going to spend the next 9 months with three other girls. I didn't know what to expect. I had prayed all summer that the Lord would put me into the room that I needed most; God answered my prayer. What an awesome room I was placed in! Definitely the best room on Maranatha's campus (I dare someone to dispute that). Christ was preeminent in everything. I was put in a room where I can say, to each of my roommates, "I saw Jesus in you."

Kristin, my PC, is a junior nursing student. Kris is dedicated in every area of her life: grades, friends, prayer, & devotions. No matter how busy Kris seemed to be (as a nursing student, she was always busy) she would take the time to laugh, cry, pray, or just talk. I don't know how she did it. My only hope is that someday I can be like her. Just when my day looked the darkest, just when I needed encouragement the most, Kris would tell me either verbally or through a note that she was praying for me. Kristin's life challenged me. How selfish had I become over the year! I was constantly thinking only of myself & Kris gave the little time she had to listen, love, & pray for me! Kris, I saw Jesus in you!

Kris had quite a task before her--Elle, Mandy, & I aren't exactly the quiet, reserved type like Kris. But, she handled us quite well. Kristin's focus for our room was prayer. She constantly challenged me, through word & deed, to talk to God about EVERYTHING. When Elle joined us in January, we began a prayer chain; every request that we saw the Lord answer was put on a construction paper ring & hung outside our door for all of our dormmates to see. After white glove, we all took a picture with the ring that nearly covered our door posts. God is so good!

I remember the first time Mandy & her mom walked into Weeks 109--boy she had alot of stuff! It didn't take long for Mandy & I to realize that we were going to get along just fine. Throughout the semester we would talk & would not be suprised when the other would say, "that's how I feel too!" Mandy was definitely a blessing . . . just like Kristin. Mandy & Kristin prayed for me in ways I am sure I will never completely understand. I am so lucky to have had such great friends as roommates. Whenever I needed help, Mandy was there . . . even when I volunteered her & her truck to help collect clothing for a ministry garage sale. She simply smiled & told me that is what friends are for. Fun was always right around the corner with Mandy . . . even when she would be dutifully studying for her classes. Though I am "deaf" ("If you need me, leave me a note") I am thankful for the nights that she talked loud enough to keep me awake & listen to her talk about the Lord & her life. Whether we were talking in the room, studying, going on a random walk, or talking to Dave, Mandy was always the friend I needed & could read my every emotion. There is no doubt, Mandy, that I saw Jesus in you.

The spring semester brough a great surprise . . . Elle. Elle's outspoken passion for Christ ignited a fire in our room. I was constantly humbled by Elle's enthusiasm in serving Christ. Her life's focus is to be in the center of God's will (which will eventually lead her to Kenya) & her every action shows that God's will is neither boring nor terrifying: it's simply wonderful. Though Elle & I may have disagreed in a few areas (two, no three, opinionated people in one room will bring little conflicts at times) we never held grudges & would soon find ourselves laughing or pulling a prank on someone. Always armed with her mace, Elle & I had some great walks ("we're rwalking, that's what they do in rwanda") & even more awesome talks. One of the first weekends Elle & I were alone in the room & we talked for 2 hours about our dreams. There is no doubt that the Lord had a purpose for bringing Elle into my life last semester.

There is so much more I could say about these 3 wonderful girls. So many talks, prayer requests, praises, room parties, & quotes, but those things are not as important as the spiritual impact they all had on my life this year. The fun times have ended for now, but I'm sure we will add to them in the future. God was so good to give me such wonderful roommates; I truly was not worthy of such a wonderful gift. Though I will never again share a room with these wonderful girls, there is no doubt that they have been added to a list of people that have been brought into my life that I proudly say (& give them a BIG hug), "I saw Jesus in you."

half time

Various different sports have been used to describe the Christian life. The most common example, of course, is Paul's use of a race. On Sunday morning, I heard a sports analogy that I had never thought of before: the Christian life has a . . . half-time?

Pastor (excuse me) Evangelist Morris Gleiser was able to challenge me from the Word of God for the second time this semester when he came to lead revival services at my extension church. It was a great encouragement for Jarid, Crys, & I to catch up with him & his wife. We were not only able to talk to them about what they are doing for the Lord, but also about how the Lord is leading in our own lives.

The Sunday School service was a challege for the church to be faithful in seeking the Lord & to come to the revival services thirsty & ready to drink in God's Word. Where does half-time fit in? Pastor Gleiser mentioned that the half-time of a game is a time where the team is encouraged to be diligent & continue in good work. Half-time is meant to empower the team. To excite them. For me half-time was not a break, but the time when I took the court, but even for cheerleaders like me, half-time was refreshing, encouraging, & empowering. The church, he reflected, is a team. A body of believers working together to accomplish the goal of Christ. Revival (meaning new awakening) is the Christian's half-time. A time to be spiritually refreshed & encouraged. A time for clearified direction. A time to reignite passion.

I was shocked. Revival is half-time. It is everything that Pastor Gleiser said: refreshing, encouraging, empowering, & directive. It's funny how something as silly as a sports illustration can be an encouragement, but God is amazing like that.

So, are you praying for half-time?

anamosa, iowa

"A coincidence is a miracle where God chooses to remain anonymous."

God works in miraculous ways. I never thought that I would learn something about the Lord by having car trouble & being stuck in a hotel in Anamosa, Iowa, but I did.

The last week of school was filled with the excitement and anticipation of going home for spring break at the end of the week. We, that is Mike Collison, Lacey Steffen, Jarid, Crystal, and I, were no exception. We could not wait to get home!

After crossing into Iowa around 5:30, Lacey and I were ready for a stop. While we were walking around in the gas station, Mike checked his tires and we were off again. It was then that we noticed a strange sound coming and Lacey noticed a little bit of smoke coming out of the right side of the hood. Now, Mike is notorious for having car problems on trips . . . we soon realized that this trip would be no exception. We pulled off the interstate in Anamosa, Iowa, possibly the last stop for miles. Mike again pulled into a gas station to check the car. The alternator belt was missing. What had cued Mike there was a problem? The funny noise and the fact that he had lost power-steering (which is a funny thing to watch). We drove up to Wal-Mart (a supposed Supercenter) and found that they did not have any belts. We were sent to another store that "should" have the part we needed. No luck. The employees there sent us to an autoparts store . . . which was closed. We were about to give up when we saw a police officer walking out of a family restaurant. Mike, rather humourously, parked and caught the officer before he drove off. The officer took us to a towing and mechanics shop in town.

When Mike pulled in at Red's we all got out and huddled around the hood as the mechanic and police officer talked. The mechanic pulled the melted, streached out alternator belt out of the car. Several times the mechanic went back to the shop checking for a belt he could put on the car. No such luck . . . AND every auto dealer in town was closed. Our best choice was to stay in Anamosa for the night and continue to Missouri and Kansas in the morning. Before we officially gave up, Lacey called AAA. We all discussed our options (we all are, after all, college students) and decided the best bet was to stay in Anamosa. The mechanic was generous enough to drive us to the Super8 where we booked two rooms for the night.

It was disappointing to look at the clock and realize that it was only 6 in the evening and we were stuck 4 hours from home for the night, but we made the most of our night. We walked to the family restaurant where we found the officer and had a great pizza and just talked for about an hour and a half. It's funny, I have known Mike for years and have gone to college with Lacey for two years and I was finally able just to talk to them. After dinner, we went to our rooms and just hung out.

The boys left at 8:15 on Saturday morning to walk to the mechanics shop to be there when the car got fixed and will come back and get us girls. The guys got back to the hotel at 9 and informed us that the car would not be ready until at least 11:30. Lacey and I decided to go on a walk to Wal-Mart. We passed the time by just talking and hanging out outside of the hotel room. At 11, we checke out of the hotel and started walking to the mechanics shop--it was not a short walk. The car was still not ready, so we left our stuff in the shop and walked around downtown Anamosa for an hour--almost everything was "Closed for Good". We all laughted at that. The car was ready at 12:30 and after a much needed food stop at Hardy's, we were back on the road.

The next 4.5 hours were mostly devoted to sleep, which I must say can be pretty uncomfortable when you are in the middle. We all cheered (well, maybe Mike didn't ) as we crossed the Iowa/Missouri border. God is good. Jarid, Crys, and I stepped in the house at 6:15. For all of the seeming problems, God showed that He was in control and we were able to have alot of fun between WI and MO.

Did we want to spend the night in Anamosa, Iowa? Of course not, but we were able to see how the Lord worked in the situation:

1. Mike heard a noise and realized he lost power-steering and did not ignore the problems
2. There was an exit for Anamosa almost immediately after Mike realized there was a problem
3. Mike and Jarid were able to realize the problem with the car
4. We went to Wal-Mart where we had an employee point us to a store where an employee pointed us to a store which was closed but driving by we saw an officer
5. The officer took the time to help us and direct us to someone who could help
6. A mechanic who was on his way home stayed to help us
7. The mechanic drove us to Super8 where we were able to book two rooms
8. We all had enough money to split dinner and the rooms
9. We had an adventure together :)

It's funny how the unexpected things in life draw our attention to God. We could have been out on the interstate and wrecked or been stuck in the middle of nowhere, but God led us to Anamosa and we had a great adventure.

just plain foolishness

Rand Hummel's conference at the beginning of the week was awesome. It felt like I was reliving my "camp" years--no one should ever outgrow camp. Why did Winterfest feel like camp? Well, along with having pretty much everyone's favorite camp speaker, we had class-focused spirit week. The week was filled with spiritual wisdom, but overall, it was just plain foolishness.

Each day of spirit week had a general theme, but to add to the foolishness, each class had a subcategory all their own. The freshmen, sophomore, junior, & senior classes were distinct as each student dressed according to theme--excited to have a week of just plain foolishness.

Monday: Holidays
Christmas in . . . February, at least for me & the other sophomores. The other classes celebrated Thanksgiving (freshmen), St. Patty's (juniors), & the 4th of July (seniors). Crystal & I went all out for Christmas--Crys dressed as a Christmas tree & I was a snowman. The freshmen had great enthusiasm and imagination--I saw a pumpkin pie & more than a few overly stuffed individuals--it was just plain foolishness!

Tuesday: Eras

This day was soo much fun. I have always loved playing dress-up, so when the opportunity arose, I pulled out all of my costumes hoping that my roommates (or someone on my floor) would be able to use something. Fashions of ancient Greece & Rome (freshmen), the Middle Ages (sophomores), the Colonial period (juniors), & the future (seniors) were put on display. With all of the sheets-turned-togas, girls in formals, colonial outfits including bonnets, and tinfoil, it was plain that everybody was enjoying this day of just plain foolishness.

Wednesday: Stages of Life

Toddler, teen, mid-life crisis, or senior citizen: which stage of life would you prefer to emulate? Well, we didn't have much of a choice, though I did enjoy reliving my teen years (not really) on Wednesday. The freshmen mostly copped out by simply wearing a pacifier with normal clothing and there were far too many pregnant middle-aged women. I would have to say that the gray haired senior citizens and the side-ponytailed, over-makeuped teens definitely topped as just plain foolishness.

Thursday: Class Color

Go Green! Crazy chapel is always a highlight of spirit week. Seeing everyone decked to the hilt in their class color, whether it be pink, green, red, or black & blue. Even Dr. Phelps joined in on the fun as he officiated the fun activities done during chapel. My class may not have won the week, but hey, at least we didn't get last . . . the afternoon was just plain foolishness.

Friday: Blue & Gold Day

The week closed with a tribute to the school itself. No class divisions on Friday. We all unified to one student body decked out in Maranatha's blue and gold. There is little sweeter than seeing 800+ college students being "true to [your] school"--and yes, all the crazy blue & gold proved that, sometimes, life is just plain foolishness.

grow up!

Have you ever read J. M. Barrie's "Peter Pan" or "The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up"? I was reading thru the play for fun, little did I know that the Lord would use that play to show me that I need to grow up.

This week was Winterfest--a fancy name for revival and spirit week. Rand Hummel of the Wilds came to speak Monday thru Wednesday. Due to my work schedule, I was only able to attend one service--the one I needed. Rand spoke on Peter Pan (what a coincident) & how he chose never to grow up. Though this is a great play, it is a horrible life lesson. Rand encouraged the college students to grow up & become all that the Lord desires of them. I cannot affectively serve the Lord if I am still acting like a child, refusing to grow up.

To add to the irony, the story I selected for the Tantalizing Tidbits (a weekly menu I put out for the dining common at the college) dealt with the life of James Barrie. His older brother died suddenly at the age of 12 or 13 & his mother refuse to give up weeping over the loss of her son. Young Jimmie vowed to imortalize his brother by refusing to grow up. Jimmie's desire effected every area of his growth, including his physical growth. James Barrie barely measured 5 feet. How sad that a young man gave up his life for a selfish mother. Rand used Peter Pan as an example of Christians who refuse to "put away childish things" & grow in the Lord. Rand was right, like many others, I need to grow up!

I did enjoy reading "Peter Pan", but as a Christian, I don't want to stay in Neverland or even yearn for it forever. I want to grow up in Christ, for then I am sure I will find that dreams can never compare to reality. Unlike Peter, I will discover that life is my greatest adventure.

E-X-C-I-T-E-D

Dorm Devos--before coming to college, I could not wait for dorm life, especially the devos. What would be cooler than getting to hear others share their heart for God? Now, don't get ahead of me & assume that I detest dorm, core, room, & floor devos; quite the opposite. I love devotions, but I felt something was missing, but what? My roommates & I began discussing the subject. Our conclusion: excitement was lacking.

Devos had simply become a 15 minute intrusion on study time where we were forced to sit in the cold basement, listen to someone share a short devo, pray with the same group of people, & then return to homework & phone calls to Mom or boyfriend. I was disappointed. I had been learning so much from chapel & personal devotions, I could hardly wait to see what the Lord was going to teach me in dorm devotions! As Hayley (my dorm sup) & Melissa (my RA) would share their heart some would stare blankly into space, some talked with the girl next to them, & some, a disappointing few, listened intently & soaked in some precious truth from God's Word. I am NOT getting down on my fellow dormmates. I, too, have been guilty of not paying attention, but something needed to change, something needed to be done to bring excitement back to devos.

Elle, a transfer student from PCC, joined our room this semester full of excitement (& opinions) about everything. After devos one night, she came back to the room disappointed. Before we knew it, Hayley was in our room & we all were excitedly talking about how we could make devos more--exciting. We realized that the change had to be within us before we could ask others to be as excited. As a room, we challenged ourselves to some goals so we would not fall back into the form of normalicy--fall back into complacency.

A plan was made that night, & tonight, Weeks 109 was able to carry out the most radical form of excitement for devos you have probably ever heard.

Elle prepared a challenge for the dorm. A challenge to be different. A challenge to stand out. A challenge to be excited about dorm devotions. Before Elle talked to the dorm, we, uh, encouraged the dorm to get excited about devos--specifically core group devos. What did we do? I'm glad you asked.

First, we painted our faces. Now, you are probably wondering what facepaint has to do with devos. Nothing. We just wanted to paint our faces. We painted our faces green & black (Weeks' dorm colors) & each of us wore a dorm shirt. Part of devos is getting together as a family, so we weren't just getting everybody excited about devos, but about being part of the Weeks family.

Second, we made signs. Bright green posterboard spelled out C.O.R.E. I also came up with an acronymn for C.O.R.E.

• COME ready to learn about & rejoice in the Lord
• ON TIME--devos start at 10, not 10:01 or 10:10
• REJOICE in what God is doing in your & the other girls' lives
• ENJOY fellowship with those in the dorm (especially the ones you may not know)

I don't know if anyone else will remember the acronymn, but it sure has been a help to me to remind me why I should be excited about devotions.

We put the signs to use in our third activity: we ran in (ironically, late) cheering! With the signs lifted above our heads, we encouraged the girls to "give me a C!" as Elle sprayed silly string on our confused & skeptical dormmates. Yes, I'm sure we looked like fools with our faces painted & signs above our heads, but nothing beat how excited we were about devos.

Finally, Elle challenged the girls to get excited. Even though we had talked for hours about the topic, I couldn't help be get excited as Elle shared her heart with the others in our dorm. Why isn't everyone excited about what God is doing & will do in our lives?

You may think we went to the extreme, but I'm glad the Lord gave me the opportunity to get others excited about Him. Even if our litte pep rally didn't effect anyone else, I know that Weeks 109 will never be the same. Praise the Lord!