Back to Cornell!!

WELL

I just finished my first week back at Cornell...it has already been a growing experience, I think.

I went on vacation to the Outer Banks, NC with my family the week before, and left thursday to drive home, then left for Ithaca Friday morning. So I had juuuust finished getting all moved in and unpacked and we headed off to a retreat for the leadership team of Chi Alpha. That was a great time, getting to hang out and catch up and bond, but we also learned a lot...we talked about the importance of devotionals, and doing it right, to your ability to be successful as a person and especially a leader. It was inspiring to me to make sure I'm doing the "do it right" part...I've never had a problem with making sure I was reading my Bible every day, but I've often fallen into reading it just to get it done, and not having enough energy left at the end of the day to pay enough attention to get as much out of my time with God as I should. So I'm trying to do what I've been avoiding doing for yeeeeears and move that time to the morning instead of the evening.

I've also started this new Chi Alpha program called "Menternship"- a combination between "Intern" and "Mentor" - it's an online class, sort of, where every week we watch video talks, listen to podcasts, and read articles on a certain topic, then have a chance to discuss message-board style what we are learning with other Menterns and instructors, and then apply it practically. So that's going to be an awesome growing experience as well!

This first week was just about insane...we had stuff going on every day, of course, to try and meet as many incoming students as possible and get them involved in a fellowship. We made a lot of contacts and for I think the first time ever, saw the same people over and over again the first week. Normally the first and second chi alpha meetings are two different groups of new people coming through, but I'm pretty sure that isn't going to happen this year, we have done such a good job following up with the people we met. I'ts very exciting! ;)

The first week was hard for me personally because although I wasn't doing anything I hadn't already one before...this was, after all, my 5th orientation week..I felt personally responsible for everything going well, and that added a lot of stress to my day. A good night's sleep and some realizing that I need to be less of a control freak made it much better. :-p

So I think that's going to be the theme of this year- not being a control freak and patience. Both of these are very very strong in the opposite direction- that is, I am an impatient control freak. I have had many many instances where both of these have been put to the test...and that's probably good because in Africa nothing goes as planned and nobody acts the way you want them to, so I'm gonna need it.

However, I really, really, really don't like when God teaches me lessons...at least during the learning part. It's borderline painful at times. But how do we learn if not put to the test? And so I go on.