Post = #1. That would be me.

Listening to: I'm Not Who I Was - Brandon Heath

What's up? I'm Jamie-Grace. I'm a sophomore @ Atlanta Christian College; your future school, right? ;) To whomever is reading this, I hope you will find my stories about life @ ACC either relevant to your own life or just exciting to read. Having said that, I hope I, in general, can relate to you guys and to see how that will play out, I'm guessing I should tell you about myself.I may or may not have started college 2 years early. (PS 'may or may not' means 'totally'.) I was homeschool from Kindergarten until graduation and was able to work at my own pace and maintain being 2 years ahead which I started at the age of 3 in Kindergarten. I was used to homeschool groups, sports + church activities and being around people older than me so the transition to college wasn't too hard aside from the typical adjustments most freshmen face at any school. Or for that matter, the typical adjustments that anyone will face in a new environment.

I enrolled in ACC in the Fall of 2008 (class of '08 represent!) as a Counseling major. I am a musician and filmmaker and wanted to focus on those things so after one semester I transferred to a school in Tennessee where I could focus more on music and communications. To make a long (very long) story short, I got involved with a children's ministry while in TN and found that I could be a filmmaker, a musician - but God wanted me to work with young people. That's something I've known all along, but I didn't truly realize that until about June of 2009. So I came back! :)

As of 2009, ACC has entirely new department for Child & Youth Development and my major is in this department: Children's Ministry. It is SO a God thing how everything worked out. I wish I could elaborate and tell you every little aspect, but we have chapel in a little bit and I don't think I have time to. ;)

Another fact about me, that you will probably never guess, is that I have Tourette Syndrome. TS is a neurobiological (aka brain, ha!) condition causing uncontrollable movements and sounds called tics. I have had TS for nearly 10 years so the head jerks, arm twitches and "ah" noises that cause me to stutter are completely normal for my family and friends. When I was younger, before I knew the cause of the tics, I would hold them in while in public and this has become a not so great habit of mine as the tics I mentioned before (and many other ones) "catch-up" with me later.

I say all of this not for pity or sympathy, but to emphasize on the community at ACC. I know that God is everywhere, but I can really feel a strong Christian community here especially when it comes to my "disability." (Note the quotations.) Yes, I receive special assistance for some aspects of academics and that is awesome. Yes, the smaller class sizes for serious help me out with focusing and understanding what the professors say. But the community here...

I remember freshman year (I talk like I'm a senior, ha) one of the student leaders made sure I knew that if my tics were bad and I needed to 'let them out' her room was an open door. Way important to me! I was even hanging with some new students the other day, and they asked me about my Tourette (which I am so cool with). The students told me they were talking about Tourette to some sophomores and they told them I had Tourette and was cool about opening up about it. Having TS sometimes means the butt of most jokes, but in this case it was an opportunity for me to share who I really was because some of my friends took the initiative to share what TS really is.

It's the simple things, that could possibly happen anywhere, that reassure me that ACC is where I belong. Though I love it here, I know that God had me transfer to understand what I was really looking for. If I never left, I may not have been involved with the Christian kid's tour and tv show that I am now. So leaving, as odd as it is to say, was in a sense the right thing. But coming back was even more right. (Does that make sense?)

So in a nutshell, that's me. The dorky thumbs-up kid with the six-string in the picture above, and the 17 year old who is in awe that God for seriousness has His hand on her. That would be me.

Peace,
Jamie-Grace

You Should Know: If someone has MacBook and is in McKinney's (ACC coffee shop) at the same time as you? You will be expected to be in a photobooth picture. Or two. Or fourteen.

Video to Check Out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unW4GOJw4ro
do you remember?