Let’s begin with a 12 hour roadtrip back to Ogden with the parentals. That in itself is craziness. Then something really weird and unexpected happened while I was driving through town: I was happy to be back. Not just because I would be seeing friends soon, but because I was back in the town where I live.
The next day I went on a leadership retreat with InterVarsity, and my parents went to Yellowstone. Those two days were full of Jesus, and we saw two moose. I didn’t even know they lived in Utah. Then it was back to real life. This is the fifth time that I’ve moved in or out of the dorms, and it’s starting to get old. It didn’t help that our air conditioner wasn’t working (more on that later).
Of course there was a Friesta, and seeing my parents hanging out with Utah friends has officially become one of my top ten favorite things. My 21st birthday ended the weekend, and I still haven’t fully grasped that reality yet. That night as I was laying in bed (the fifth one that I had occupied in that week), I was in shock that I’m a junior in college and pretty much an adult.
Then the real fun began. I woke up monday morning and decided to check if my scholarships had gone through. Normally there’s no trouble, and it all happens automatically. Well this time they hadn’t, and the school said I owed them over $2,000 for tuition and a late fee for not having paid it on time. I promptly freaked my freak, and rushed over to campus to get things sorted out. In the time it took me to get there, the scholarship went through. They also took away my late fee. So everything worked out, but I suffered a mild panic attack/heat stroke because the ac in our dorm still wasn’t working. In the past week maintenance has come three times, and it’s currently 80 degrees in the living room (the bedrooms tend to be slightly warmer). Let’s hope that gets fixed soon. My printer also decided to print out nice green pictures for me. I called staples, and they said to run the cleaning cycles. Which I did about a dozen times, and the pictures turned from green to hazy. Yesterday I printed out regular pages and it was fine, so I guess I’ll just have to not print my own pictures. I can live with that.
This all may seem like bad luck, but I think it’s more. Yes, all of these things are annoyances, but they do a number on me. The first week is difficult enough because I don’t have a routine yet, and these hassles made it worse. I felt unsettled and wished it was summer so that I wouldn’t have to deal with everything that was going on. I think all of this was the enemy trying to derail me by having me focus on the past, which brought despair because it was over. Why would he do that? Something important is happening in the present. The Kingdom is alive and well at Weber (see the following paragraph), and that brings opposition. But despite the battle there is always victory.
The highlight of the week was InterVarsity. We had a proxe station (no, I don’t know what proxe means) on campus for four days. It was about identity and what you are/will be known for. Basically a person will walk up, we’ll ask them questions about their identity, tell them we’re from IV, talk about Jesus, and then invite them to large and small groups. Some are genuinely interested, others not so much. One girl said she wasn't in to religion and asked me where she could find popsicles.
This year I’ve been given the opportunity to co-lead a Bible study. Talk about crazy. Finding a small group my freshman year was what got me involved with IV, and to be a small group leader just two years later is crazy. It’s overwhelming to see how transforming those two years have been. This week we just met and hung out, but next week we’ll start our study of Matthew. I’m excited about what’s to come this year, and my prayer is that our small group will become a familia.
There were almost 150 people at our first large group, and that’s amazing. God is doing incredible work here at Weber, and I’m grateful that I get to be a part of it.
During this week I truly felt like an upperclassman. I feel old not just in age, but I feel like a grownup and leader. Talk about crazy.
Not in my bow do I trust, nor does my sword bring me victory.
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