Provided

I give all glory to God on this one.

I graduate in one week and three days, but I have a summer class to complete my final elective credits. The cost of the class was supposed to be around a thousand dollars, but when I got the bill in the mail, there was an unexpected scholarship bringing it to six hundred and fifty dollars. This was a large blessing because there are no loans available for the summer classes, so I was going to pay for this class directly.

Well, as a student (and especially as a graduating senior), I participated in some competitions of sorts. I submitted a paper and sermon for consideration for the Tom Nees Social Justice Award and the Corlett Senior Sermon Series. I am very excited that I did well! I co-won the social justice paper, and I was a semi-finalist for the sermon series. Both had monetary awards attached which were given today in a special celebration chapel.

I was planning to use these monetary awards to cover most of my summer class, but with the two awards, I am able to completely cover the class and buy books. Hallelujah!!!

So while it's kind of funny that NTS is giving me money simply for me to give it right back, I thank God for again providing in unexpected ways!!!

Nightmares Almost Come True

When I was little, I went through this phase where I would take really fast showers because I was afraid that an octopus or other sea creature would come out of the shower head, attack, and then eat me. I don't know where this fear came from, but I reasoned... water is in the ocean, and water comes out of the shower; sea "monsters" are in the ocean, and therefore, sea "monsters" may come out of the shower too.

Well this morning, it wasn't a sea "monster," but it was still horrifying. I was getting ready to take a shower. I turned on the water as normal and waited for a good temperature. It was cold this morning, so I wanted the water to be nice and warm. Then, I pulled up the little knob on the faucet to start the shower. Just as I was about to get in the bathtub, I saw something moving in the shower drain. It was dark- kind of like the few hairs on the shower drain, but it wasn't just swirling around. It was coming out!!! For the split second, I was in wonder how weird it looked as hair emerged from the drain only to then be in pure terror and disgust when a large beetle-like bug then came forth.

I did not scream, but I kind of wanted. I wasn't sure what to do. There was no cup in the bathroom to pick it up. So I kind of watched it slip around in the water. The water current was not strong enough to send him back from where he came. And as easily as he plopped out of the drain, he was not going back as such. So then, I looked in the bathroom for something to get him out. I was not trying to save his life but put it out quicker by putting him in the toilet and flushing him. However, he would not get on anything.

And so he drowned... in my shower. I was then able to retrieve him and send him on his way via toilet.

However, I still had to take a shower. And the entire time I was in the shower, I was paranoid about feeling something crawling along my feet. Minus the rinsing hair time, I kept a close eye on the drain and might be paranoid about it for a few days.

Oops... maaa

On this chilled Sunday, I come here to confess my shortcomings.

At a restaurant late at night last night, I took 3 bites of my friend's chocolate dessert. It is when I went for the next bite that I realized what I had done. I dropped my fork and gasped at what I had done.

Being intentional is difficult when you are used to consuming everything. (profound on several levels, right?) I can think ahead of not eating ice cream and drinking soda, but chocolate seems to be in everything. I was reminded by a friend that the Lord forgives (amen), so this will serve as the week's indulgence.

Hopefully, I will be a little more attentive the rest of the Lenten season. :)

Lenten Season

Giving up something for Lent is not about penance. I am not trying to atone my sins or earn my salvation. I can't do that; only God's grace covers me, and it covers me well. However, I choose to participate in Lent as a way of recognizing what I do indulge in- not to punish myself by abstaining but to be intentional in what I do/consume. I am also trying to add in some extra-God time as I do prepare not only for Easter but for graduation. :)

Last year for Lent, I gave up meat. It wasn't too bad. I made it nearly 3 weeks before even having a craving, and I found a lot of amazing vegetarian recipes. In fact, a year later, I don't eat meat that often. Kind of got out of habit and love the yummy veggie recipes I have.

This year for Lent I gave up three things- chocolate, ice cream, and soda. Even in day 1, I realize the GI-NOR-MOUS task I have ahead of me. I didn't realize how much these three things make up my diet. After eating lunch with a neighbor, I thought how good ice cream would be, but then I couldn't get it. And then I had some time before work, and since I was dead tired I decided to stop at McDs for a coffee. As I approached the door, I realized I couldn't have my favorite mocha because it's chocolate. And a caramel latte is NOT the same.

So here I am at the end of the first day of Lent knowing this may be far more stretching than giving up meat. Here I go with the fruits for dessert. :)

Coincidence, I think not

I work at a pharmacy which is part of a shopping center in Overland Park, Kansas. Also in this shopping center is a running shoe store. Once a month, their running club meets taking up all of the parking spaces. Two Saturday ago they met, so when I got to work around 9:30 am (the store opens at 9:30), I was lucky to find a spot.

When I got inside, my boss told me someone had knocked on the back door, but we never open the back door because of security reasons. He said he waited a few minutes and then checked to see who it was; he saw a man all in black walking away. He didn't know if he was a runner trying to get around the building or what, but it was suspicious.

A little later this same man was staring into our store window. My boss was quite nervous about it, but the man never came in. Around 10am, my boss noticed his usual parking spot open, so he went to move his van. Nearby he saw the same sketchy guy sitting in a car, but the car was backed in rather than the normal drive-in position. The guy took off his hat and leaned the seat back when he noticed my boss. As my boss came back in, he wrote down the license plate number, and shortly after, the guy drove away.

My boss made a police report because he recognized the guy from a long time ago, and it was suspicious behavior in general.

This last week, a detective sent my boss a news link with a video about a pharmacy robbery (a guy held two people at gun point in order to get some oxycontin. they were both unharmed.) in Kansas City, Kansas. It happened on the same Saturday as our weird encounter. My boss couldn't really distinguish the face in the video, but he said he looked a little heavier in the video and was wearing different clothes than the guy hanging around our pharmacy. But my boss still talked with the pharmacist that was robbed and compared notes about the guy and his car. He gave the police the name of the guy (since he had recognized him), his description, and the description of the car.

Well, this evening we got a call from the other pharmacist.The police caught the guy who robbed them, and it turned out it was the SAME GUY who was at our pharmacy. The same guy who robbed the pharmacy in KC, Kansas, in the afternoon was staking out our pharmacy in the morning. The police found him because of my boss' tips too!!! I don't know if he chickened out because of all the traffic from the running club, but both my boss and I were a little spooked out at the fact that we could have easily been the ones robbed two Saturdays ago. So crazy!!!!

Praise God for unknown and unexplainable protection.

Now informed...

This could be just another case of guilt and shame, but instead of going down that normal, well-trodden path, I encourage myself and you to take this as an opportunity to engage and make things better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ycih_jMObQ

Look up raisehopeforcongo.org to see where electronic companies you have in your home lie. My computer is a Toshiba, and I am greatly grieved. They will be hearing from me.

Fill me up

Last Saturday was the annual Dentistry from the Heart in Olathe, Kansas. Dentistry from the Heart is an event that welcomes people without dental insurance and are low income to get some free dentist work. They occur all over America at different times of the year, and different offices provide different services.

Last year, my roommate and I showed up at 8:15am (the event started at 8am), but the line was so long we didn't get into the office before it closed. So this year, we were proactive, and showed up at the office at 6:30 in the A-M. It might seem a little crazy, but this is free dentistry work!!! For a person without dental insurance and a few aches and pains in the mouth, it is wonderful. Last year, the visit included a cleaning and whatever you needed done, but this year, in order to help more people, they were only offering fillings and extractions. My roommate and I were rewarded for our early morning attendance with the place of #21 and #22- far ahead from our #180-something position from last year. So we waited in the car until quarter til 8, and then we joined the growing crew inside a supposedly warming tent. Just before 9, our numbers were called, and we entered the nicely warmed building to find fairly comfortable waiting room chairs and a large flat screen tv playing Cars. I was quickly impressed, and then I remembered I was in Olathe which is in Johnson County which is one of the richest counties in America.

Just a few minutes later, the assistants called me back. A dentist was there waiting and asked what was wrong. I told her that my lower left side of my jaw had been hurting, so she took a look. I had an x-ray on that side of my mouth where they found a tiny cavity. However, the cause of my pain was actually a result of my previously unknown grinding of the teeth. (I will have to be more careful.) So the next 20 minutes were spent getting numbed, drilled, and filled. I left happily although not feeling the left side of my mouth and tongue.

And so even though I had a cavity and then had to go to work, I was so excited because I didn't have to pay for anything!!! The only thing that would have made this experience better would have been a sticker of a smiling tooth and toothbrush, but I'll take the fact that I had no bill to pay too. :)