Accepted!

My Acceptance letter from Liberty University

   As I enter into my 31st year (yes I know, doesn't seem right) I am about to embark on a new adventure.  I am finally going back to school to finish my college degree.  With the encouragement of a few friends last spring I realized that I really had no excuse or good reason for not finishing, so I began the search for a program/school that would have everything I wanted.  Living in south Florida there area lot of options as far as school goes but I was more interested in something that I could fit into my schedule instead of the other way around, so I began looking for online programs.  After looking into several I quickly saw cost differences, and limited degree programs offered online for most schools.  I landed on Liberty University Online for those reasons and a few more, they by far had the most degree programs offered and a variety of ways to accomplish them.
   I work in full-time ministry and I know that I don't necessarily want to change that after I get my degree but I wanted to find something I would be interested in that could also benefit my organization, Palm Beach County Youth for Christ. I will be studying for a business administration degree w/ and emphasis in marketing.  I am both nervous and excited, mostly excited though.  Part of what pushed me over the edge for this decision was that I wanted something that I could do for me, kinda like a hobby.  Working in ministry where you aim to love and serve others for Christ, and being single where often times your schedule is dictated by friends who are married and either do or don't have time for you makes it difficult to feel like I have things and time that is my own.  Hence the new hobby!  It really is amazing how when I "quit" college I always knew that if and when God ever wanted me to go back and finish that He would make a way and give me a desire to do it.  His timing is never off, I really feel that this couldn't be happening at a better time for me and I'm so excited to do it!  

YFCamp 2013

 
 As usual the road to and from YFCamp is filled with stress, heartbreak as well as overwehlming joy and 2013 was no different.  The weeks leading up to camp were filled with a lot of hard, but as we loaded up on the charter bus and pulled out of the parking lot the stress of it all went away...for the most part.  The road was bumpy, literally bumpy because of the bus' hydrolix system struggling, so as we hit any little hole in the road we were met with an unpleasant jolt.  We arrived in one piece to Carolina Point in the beautiful Smokey Mountains along the North and South Carolina boarder.
   I won't bore you with a day by day account of camp but I would like to share 5 of my most memorable moments of YFCamp 2013.
   
   #1 -For the first time at a YFCamp we had the opportunity as a cabin to camp outdoors...with my city girls I knew this was an opportunity they needed to have.  Everyone was excited to have the opportunity until the rain storm was set to move in!  I was so proud of the girls they not only toughed it out but looked forward to the challenge with a great attitude.
   
  #2 -One day the entire camp, (all 250+ people) went on a mile and a half hike up the mountain to have lunch.  The hike was a definite challenge for our below sea-level living Florida selves-not to mention the students, but once we arrived at the top and took in the spectacular view of 3 states below us the complaining finally stopped.
     
  #3 -One thing that was really special to me was having a couple of my former students there at Carolina Point serving as work crew.  Both Tiffany and Taylor first said yes to Jesus at YFCamp, so to see them growing and having a heart to serve so that other high school students have the chance to say yes to Jesus too is
phenomenal.  They were and are so encouraging to me!

  #4 -A zip-line ride would make a top 5 list anywhere but while waiting to go on the zip-line a memory that will never be forgotten by me and is quickly becoming an all-time favorite YFCamp moment happened.  Lexie didn't want to go on the zip-line but I told her she needed to at least come up and support the rest of the girls who were.  Fortunately one of the young men working the zip-line was pretty easy on the eyes and Lexie took notice, so when he nudged her to try the zip-line she convinced herself to do it.  She and Liz went together but as she got near the end of the first section Lexie missed the rope that was supposed to bring her in...so she zipped in and quickly out.  She was hanging there for 3 minutes tops but as I watched all this go down I said out loud to my co-leader, "she is going to kill me!"  So as they finally got her pulled in and safely back onto the platform I asked to use the walkie to radio to her, the conversation went as such....
             
                ME:  "Could someone of the second platform please inform Lexie that I love her!"
                without a moment in between
                LEXIE:  "Blow yourself!"

I cried I was laughing so hard.  It may have been because I was a bit delirious from lack of sleep but I could not stop laughing that that was her choice of words to me and that anyone at camp that had a radio heard my student tell me to "Blow myself!"  I love that this was Lexie when she got to camp but while at camp she said Yes to Jesus and is different now!

L-R: Me, Lexie, Ariel, Liz

  #5 -The best part of YFCamp was the 12 students from RPBHS Campus Life who came, the 9 who came not knowing Jesus, and the 6 who said yes to Jesus while there for the first time!