Empty shelf, full heart...

Something that I never want to see again... an empty bookshelf. As you can tell, I am all moved out from school and back home in South Carolina. I finished taking my finals on Wednesday and bid farewell to the good ol' ACC campus on Thursday.

Since then I have been staying busy getting ready for my near departure to Kenya. Preparations have included getting my final immunizations as well as completing paperwork. In a way I still feel like I am in school... everyday there is some form of "work" to do for my internship. More importantly, ALL of my financial support has been provided for. Last week God showed up in many miraculous ways. One sponsor provided me with $1,642. Another gave me $600. And a complete stranger wrote me a check for $634. Throughout preparing for my summer away, I am constantly being surprised by the different emotions I am experiencing. Perhaps my most overwhelming emotion is one of gratitude. I feel like I have been encompassed by a wave of supporters on every side. Whether it is through anonymous giving or fellow students buying muffins, I have such gratitude that I am not alone in my adventure.

Last week one of my fellow students said, "We leave our families to go live with strangers at college. At the end of the year we leave our families to go back home." That statement could not be more true. I left my ACC family on Thursday; now I just need to spend time with my own before I hope the great pond in fifteen days. Yes... life is good without textbooks.

About over...

In high school, my dad told me once: "College was the four easiest years of my life..." My mom got upset when he said this. She was afraid I would get to college and fail out because I thought it would be easy. I am coming to the end of my third year in college and my first year at ACC. I would not say these past three years have been the easiest years of my life.

Honestly, I am not really sure how I ended up in Atlanta. It was the combination of wanting to move south, not being able to graduate from my previous college, and a mess of other things. I am really amazed God brought me here to ACC though.

We (I) tend to think of college as one phase of life. It is four years, plus maybe some graduate studies, but that is the totality of the college phase. What I am realizing is the college phase is not just a block of 4-8 years. There are phases within the phases. At the end of this week as I depart for the summer, I will have completed a phase within my college phase. Moving on from this phase (year) is more difficult than I ever realized coming from a community college. Friends are graduating. People are moving out. Fellow students are transferring.

Last night the whole campus was invited to a midnight breakfast hosted in the cafeteria. It is the schools gift for the stomachs of those staying up all night to study for finals. I had a lot of fun seeing the majority of students show up (in pajamas and sombreros) for a Cinco De Mayo themed meal (ironic that we are celebrating a day of independence on the day we are slaves to finals...) . We had salsa eggs, breakfast burritos, and some churros. It was the last big hooray on campus before people start packing up for home. It is a little bit sad.

However, next semester is a new start at ACC. There will be new faces, perhaps yours, and new things to accomplish. I look forward to that. But in conclusion to this crazy, wild, fun year living in Atlanta, I will not say it has been easy.

It has been the best.

As for me, I will be off to Kenya in a few weeks. Perhaps you will hear from me before then...

The taste of community...

Going to Kenya is financially a steep adventure, as I mentioned in previous posts. Currently I have over 56% of my support raised and I am still in need of $2,104. God has been showing up in the most amazing ways. Perhaps one of the coolest things about my Nairobi internship is sharing my preparations with the ACC community. I have yet to feel like I am alone in preparing to serve in Africa. Instead I feel like I have an entire campus supporting my efforts. My professors have demonstrated their interest in my summer plans. Furthermore, my fellow students have begun to partake in journeying with me in this experience. Everyday I am stopped by a variety of people who are interested in hearing about how my support is coming. One day I was given an anonymous financial gift. Another day I was stopped for some prayer. Today I was given African flashcards from a sister in Christ. Additionally, the coffee shop on campus, McKinney's, has been gracious in allowing me to sell homemade muffins, with all proceeds going to Kenya. The donations I am receiving for my muffins far exceed my asking price. I am living in such a generous community.

You will hear a lot about community at ACC. It is at the center of everything we do. This years theme on campus has been, "Living in a transforming community." We hear about that concept a lot between classes and chapels. I do not think there could have been a more appropriate focus for the campus this year. This school year has transformed me, which adds to the greater transformation of the whole ACC community.

So come here and expect some changes within yourself. You will find yourself surrounded by a community that will love you, support you, and buy your muffins so you can go halfway around the world.

P.S. This is our last week of regular classes before finals. Caffeine consumption is at an all time high. Stay tuned for the crash following.

Some teacher appreciation...

I came to visit ACC last March during my spring break. I left Philadelphia, where it was 22 degrees, in a sweater and winter coat. I got off the plane in Atlanta, where it was 70 degrees. I almost had a heat stroke.

Perhaps one of the most significant things I remember from my campus visit was my admissions officer telling me about the student/professor relationships. My guide informed me how different our professor are from most; they are drastically involved in the lives of their students. This concept stuck in my mind because it was not the case at my community college.

I am here a year later to report this is in fact TRUE. The relationships you will establish with your professors at ACC will be amazing. At my previous college, adjuncts were the majority of the teacher staff. Therefore, none of my professors had office hours nor were they willing to meet with me outside of the classroom. I could not have discovered a farther opposite here. ACC professors make themselves available to you. And perhaps more importantly than that, they genuinely care about the details of your life. Just on Friday I had two professors (who's classes I am not even taking) ask me about my fund raising for Kenya. Another professor asked me to meet him in his office; when I got there he encouraged me about my summer and prayed over my plans to serve in Nairobi.

The student/professor relationships. It is something to consider before you spend a significant amount of money on your education. You will get everything you need here from the ACC faculty and you will get more. You will find yourself mentored by the Godly men and women who lead this campus. And if you don't find this to be true once you come here (and I know this post has persuaded you to)... I will buy you a muffin and explain this in another post!

What is up...

Food. It is an important aspect of your higher education. It is a fact of life that when you come to college, you are going to miss home cooked meals. Sometimes a fun game to play during lunch or dinner is... "What would I rather be eating?" I have found our cafeteria excels on a few particular dishes. I also give them a lot of credit for trying new things and being open to new suggestions from students. My absolute favorite meal is the meatloaf. Meatloaf day is like winning the lottery for me, perhaps because it actually tastes like home. I wish everyday was meatloaf day here at ACC...

Outside of the cafeteria, the campus is beginning to feel the effects of the end of the semester. Papers, tests, and projects are piling up. We are all feeling a little bit more ragged. Personally speaking, I find myself staying in bed a little bit longer and sporting the pajamas a little bit more in my morning classes. Despite being excited for the end of this semester, I do not feel quite ready to leave for summer yet. I have grown so accustomed to being here. Additionally, I know my summer in Kenya is going to change me in immense ways. I most likely will not return to ACC as the same person that left in May. As I normally ask, please be praying for my trip. I have a financial deadline this Friday, and I am still in need of $1,664 in order to meet it.

Also, I wanted to point out that today is "Look up at the sky day." Well just because... that's whatsup.

Matthew 18:3 & 28:19...

Greetings from what should be called Hotlanta. Instead, we have cold, dark, and rainy Atlanta today. As mentioned last week, we had the Global Missions Conference at school this weekend, with missionaries from all over the globe flying in to speak to us. Friday night and Saturday morning we had students from Georgia Tech, Auburn, and Georgia State come for the seminars, so the campus was pretty packed out. Doug Kallestad and his wife are missionaries in Chile through CMF, the organization I'm going to Africa with. They shared with us how they were called into ministry and what our role should be in global missions. Outside of the seminars, we had other fun events going on. Friday included some Guitar Hero action, some Wii action, a bonfire, and a fun Open Mic Night in McKinney's following the service. Overall, the weekend was just another reminder of what the hands and feet of Jesus can look like around the world. Plus, when else am I going to see some fellow classmates perform "Gangsta's Paradise" on an acoustic guitar?

Furthermore, ACC never ceases to surprise me. You know how Jesus talks about becoming like the little children in Matthew 18? We take that seriously here at ACC! For example, this year our fall Freshmen and Transfer student orientation was hosted at Chuck-E-Cheese's. I witnessed Mr. Huxford, ACC's Vice President for Student Development, take a spin on a few rides over orientation. It was a priceless moment in my college experience. However, last night may have raised the bar. The Sunday Nights team hosted... SPAM night! Events included: a Spam eating contest, a Spam parable carving challenge, a Spam taste test, and a Spam tower building contest (using only toothpicks). Ok, I'll admit, I couldn't bring myself to touch the stuff. But I loved every minute of watching other people do it!

In one weekend: Global missions, "Gangsta's Paradise," and Spam. I'm never leaving college.

Hot dogs, missions, and celebrations!

There are a lot of things that can become stale about school. The usual stuff such as assignments, tests, early mornings, and not to mention the cafeteria food. However, I find it refreshing that ACC is always doing something. Whether it's Spring Ministry Day or gathering donations for tornado relief, it's pretty great that I never have to question if we are concerned with the lives of our fellow humankind.
This Spring Ministry Day I spent a few hours raking rocks and soil in preparation for planting seed. Kinda figurative don't you think? I also helped set up and serve at a barbecue station at the end of the road. I believe we served close to 300 hot dogs, chips, and drinks. It's funny to me that churches are attempting to draw people in with concerts and light shows, yet something as simple as a hot meal will work.
Yes, God can work in mysterious ways, even sometimes through mysterious meat.

Some other updates include the Global Missions Conference coming up this weekend. We're having some great speakers come who will be hosting workshops on a variety of topics related to missions. I look forward to sitting in on the workshop discussing poverty/AIDS/HIV since it will help prepare me for Kenya this summer. On topic with Kenya, I have close to 1/6th of my financial support raised. I need half of it raised by mid-April and all of it by May. I should be praying right now, shouldn't I?

One more fun update... Today is Mr. Feeny's 81st birthday. He was a father figure to half of my generation. Celebrations are in order!

Un-lent...

I am trusting that everyone had an amazing Easter celebration. I was able to spend time with my family in South Carolina, so that made mine more meaningful.
On a similar note, I gave up Starbucks for lent this year, which near about killed me in the first few weeks. However, it got easier with time and I wonder how much money I saved in the process. It was a really good lesson for me; I feel like I am slowly learning the difference between needs and wants, in this area and many more. Additionally, last night at our Sunday nights gathering on campus, we were challenged to now take something for forty days of celebration. It is an interesting perspective that lent is about sacrifice for forty days, yet we only celebrate the resurrection for one. I'm not sure what I want to pick up for my forty days of celebration, but I love the concept. Can I call it Un-lent?
Outside of the Easter season, it is going to be a busy and fun week. The entire campus is having a Spring ministry day at City of Refuge on Thursday. We all look forward to going downtown and helping out with this amazing church and organization... and not to mention there are no classes being held! I am sure you will hear more about the activities of Spring ministry day in coming posts.
Until then...

Sunburn and shots

Spring break ended about as quickly as it began, so it's back to the grind here at ACC. I'm looking at a busy week, especially since we have no classes on Good Friday. Thank you professors for unanimously decided to give me ALL of your tests this Wednesday.
Regardless, I had a great break. I was able to catch up on some projects that will be due very shortly. I read a couple of books while cruising on the lake, while managing to get scorched by the sun. I got to see a few new movies. And let's not forget the good food and free laundry aspect.
One interesting component of my week involved preparing for my summer internship. I applied to the REACH Internship program with Christian Missionary Fellowship a few months ago, and found out in January that I was accepted. Therefore, I'm going to be spending my summer in Nairobi, Kenya (May 28th-August 2nd). I'm really excited for the opportunity, and I've been keeping busy raising my support, reading assigned books, and simply preparing my heart. Over break I got five shots (Influenza, Polio, Meningitis, Yellow Fever, and Typhoid Fever)... and I'm quite amazed at the body's ability to handle all of that at once. I'm proud to say I took the shots like a fearless Samurai warrior.
I'll be sure to keep you updated on my plans for the summer and if you have some time, I'd greatly appreciate the prayer!

P.S. I didn't look quite like the girl in the picture, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you :)

One more day!

I suppose that it would be a good idea to give myself a little introduction. My name is Bethany and I transfered to ACC last semester, which makes me a junior in the Human Relations program. It has been a wild ride coming and adjusting to ACC, especially because I'm from PA. One thing that I cannot get used to is what I refer to as Georgia's "bipolar" weather. One day it is warm and the next day you need a winter coat and scarf! Despite that, I have and continue to love being here. The southern way of life is a beautiful thing...
In more exciting news, there is ONLY one more day until spring break! The campus is buzzing with excitement and it is practically all that my fellow students have been talking about this week. The general consensus about what to do over spring break seems to involve a mixture of sleep, a home cooked meal, free laundry, and possibly a tan. I'm certainly excited about all of those things, especially since I haven't been home since Christmas break! I'm planning on spending the majority of my break in South Carolina where my parents live (they moved from PA after I left for school). I anticipate the week to be filled with sunny days and hopefully some time on Lake Greenwood.


Rest, what a beautiful Biblical concept!