Answered Prayer!
Wow! Many people have been praying for God to provide me with another College Year in Athens student who is a believer while I study abroad in Athens, Greece. Since last May, I have asked God for that fellowship... And He has faithfully provided!! A couple days ago, CYIA emailed information about all 120 students who will be in Athens on their program next semester. My first reaction was to look through the colleges that they attend, since I had been praying for so long. Scrolling down the list, it was clear that most of these students must be very bright, since they attend incredible schools. Then, finally, I saw "Calvin College," which is a Christian college in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I was so excited! I emailed Hannah (the Calvin student), noting that I am a Christian, and she replied with equal enthusiasm and relief that God provided her with the fellowship of another believer while studying abroad. Praise God!!! He is faithful, and there is nothing better than being blessed by the Lord in such a direct way.
Thanks for praying, peeps. :) I hope everyone is enjoying break... I'll be stopping by Grove City during the first week back, so I will see many of you then! Lata gata.
~Libby (yeah, it's the real thing)
Song of the day: "What If I Stumble?" - dc Talk
Monday, January 10, 2005
Monday, January 03, 2005
2005
Christmas break in Belize sounds like such a relaxing, tranquil experience. And it has been, but so much more has happened...
Last week I experienced a huge trial. God pulled someone very close to me out of my life. At the time it was an indefinite separation, and I felt like I was mourning his death even though he was still alive. I guess it was as if our relationship had died. It was really painful for me, but God used it to open my eyes and work in my heart. The Lord pointed out to me that He is so much bigger than my situation, and I decided to follow Him instead of focusing on my own suffering. Since then, this friend started talking to me again, and God is healing both of us.
During hard times, true friends really stand out. One of my best friends from school gave me some wise advice, and the Lord really used her to comfort and heal my heart. Then there are those who just say what they think that you want to hear. And, of course, there are always those who further discourage a hurting person. An unnamed young man (who I happen to live with) was joking around and suggested that there is probably a "Libby-haters club" at Grove City, composed of 3 guys. Although he was just teasing and I knew that, his words kept coming back to me. I encourage you to be a light to those who are in pain. Speak the truth in love.
God is so cool. I love to sit back and marvel at His creation. I am listening to the soothing, yet powerful roar of the reef as I type. And that same reef is home to a huge ecosystem. Watching all those pretty little animals swim busily around the coral is so entertaining, and then at night I love to sit back and look at the stars. The sky in Belize must be really clear, because you can see TONS of stars. It's awesome.
Shout out to Carn-dogg, LMarie, Carner, or whatever weird little nicknames people give that sweet ace kid! She gets the funny person of the day award for our late-night IM conversation. Check out her new xanga at http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=LMarie4Me
Well, I'm out, y'all. Happy January 3rd. Go with God.
~Libbz
Song of the day: "Let Them Hear" - Ginny Owens
Christmas break in Belize sounds like such a relaxing, tranquil experience. And it has been, but so much more has happened...
Last week I experienced a huge trial. God pulled someone very close to me out of my life. At the time it was an indefinite separation, and I felt like I was mourning his death even though he was still alive. I guess it was as if our relationship had died. It was really painful for me, but God used it to open my eyes and work in my heart. The Lord pointed out to me that He is so much bigger than my situation, and I decided to follow Him instead of focusing on my own suffering. Since then, this friend started talking to me again, and God is healing both of us.
During hard times, true friends really stand out. One of my best friends from school gave me some wise advice, and the Lord really used her to comfort and heal my heart. Then there are those who just say what they think that you want to hear. And, of course, there are always those who further discourage a hurting person. An unnamed young man (who I happen to live with) was joking around and suggested that there is probably a "Libby-haters club" at Grove City, composed of 3 guys. Although he was just teasing and I knew that, his words kept coming back to me. I encourage you to be a light to those who are in pain. Speak the truth in love.
God is so cool. I love to sit back and marvel at His creation. I am listening to the soothing, yet powerful roar of the reef as I type. And that same reef is home to a huge ecosystem. Watching all those pretty little animals swim busily around the coral is so entertaining, and then at night I love to sit back and look at the stars. The sky in Belize must be really clear, because you can see TONS of stars. It's awesome.
Shout out to Carn-dogg, LMarie, Carner, or whatever weird little nicknames people give that sweet ace kid! She gets the funny person of the day award for our late-night IM conversation. Check out her new xanga at http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=LMarie4Me
Well, I'm out, y'all. Happy January 3rd. Go with God.
~Libbz
Song of the day: "Let Them Hear" - Ginny Owens
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
"This Road" - by Ginny Owens
A million miles away from anything familiar
a thousand places I would rather be
so I choke back the tears and try to find the bright side
though I find it hard to see beyond my suffering
in my heart I know Your plan is so much bigger
but this small part is all that I can see
and I believe You haven't left me here to wander
still I can't help but ponder where You're leading me
(chorus)
and I ask why this road
why this way
and this load
tell me how far must I go
till I see
till I know
why this road
A million miles away from anything familiar
what was it like to be so far from home?
though You came in love
the world misunderstood You
there must have been some days when You felt so alone
but You endured, cause there was joy before You
joy that came because You sacrificed
Since you gave Yourself just to spend forever with me
surely I can trust You'll lead me through my darkest times
when I ask why....(chorus)
From here I can not see
why You'd choose this path for me
but I don't have to understand to believe
that You know why
You know why this road
why this way
and this load
You know how far I must go
till I see
till I know
why this road
A million miles away from anything familiar
a thousand places I would rather be
so I choke back the tears and try to find the bright side
though I find it hard to see beyond my suffering
in my heart I know Your plan is so much bigger
but this small part is all that I can see
and I believe You haven't left me here to wander
still I can't help but ponder where You're leading me
(chorus)
and I ask why this road
why this way
and this load
tell me how far must I go
till I see
till I know
why this road
A million miles away from anything familiar
what was it like to be so far from home?
though You came in love
the world misunderstood You
there must have been some days when You felt so alone
but You endured, cause there was joy before You
joy that came because You sacrificed
Since you gave Yourself just to spend forever with me
surely I can trust You'll lead me through my darkest times
when I ask why....(chorus)
From here I can not see
why You'd choose this path for me
but I don't have to understand to believe
that You know why
You know why this road
why this way
and this load
You know how far I must go
till I see
till I know
why this road
Thursday, November 25, 2004
Day 6 of 9
I woke up this morning (well, this afternoon to be precise), and the trees and ground were coated in white, sparkly stuff. For the most part it was just depressing, but another part of me was like, "Ooo...it's perty." The only time that I can possibly like snow is the first snow of the year, when I have not been outside since it started and I'm looking at it from the warmth of my house. As soon as I step outside, though, all appreciation is gone. I hate snow. (I apologize to those of you who read my blog last year... This post is probably bringing back old memories of me complaining about cold weather last year. I guess I'm too stinkin' predictable.)
Oh yeah, it's also Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving! It's kinda crazy... I was in some serious denial of the fact that it's late November. But the combination of snow and Thanksgiving (November 25!!!) has reminded me of harsh reality. Not that I don't like Thanksgiving. I'm actually somewhat ambivalent toward it. It is SO important to be thankful to God, but not just on one day out of the year. Actually, the fact that we get 9 days off of school makes me like Thanksgiving. Ok...I'm no longer ambivalent.
What was I thinking? Green bean casserole...I love Thanksgiving! Anywho. My dog looks like she's dead right now. Don't worry - she's breathing. On that note, I'd better get some work done and let you fine folks get back to whatever else you need to do. Thanks again for tuning in. Later.
~Libby G
Song of the day: "Lift It" - Thousand Foot Krutch
I woke up this morning (well, this afternoon to be precise), and the trees and ground were coated in white, sparkly stuff. For the most part it was just depressing, but another part of me was like, "Ooo...it's perty." The only time that I can possibly like snow is the first snow of the year, when I have not been outside since it started and I'm looking at it from the warmth of my house. As soon as I step outside, though, all appreciation is gone. I hate snow. (I apologize to those of you who read my blog last year... This post is probably bringing back old memories of me complaining about cold weather last year. I guess I'm too stinkin' predictable.)
Oh yeah, it's also Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving! It's kinda crazy... I was in some serious denial of the fact that it's late November. But the combination of snow and Thanksgiving (November 25!!!) has reminded me of harsh reality. Not that I don't like Thanksgiving. I'm actually somewhat ambivalent toward it. It is SO important to be thankful to God, but not just on one day out of the year. Actually, the fact that we get 9 days off of school makes me like Thanksgiving. Ok...I'm no longer ambivalent.
What was I thinking? Green bean casserole...I love Thanksgiving! Anywho. My dog looks like she's dead right now. Don't worry - she's breathing. On that note, I'd better get some work done and let you fine folks get back to whatever else you need to do. Thanks again for tuning in. Later.
~Libby G
Song of the day: "Lift It" - Thousand Foot Krutch
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Thanksgiving break!
Home again, home again...
Today I fell in love with my mom's green bean casserole all over again. It's the best thing ever. If I had to limit my diet to a few chosen foods for the rest of my life, green bean casserole would definitely make the cut. It's so deceptive though, because I'm like, "yeah I'm eating green beans," ignoring the fact that everything else in the recipe is not so healthy. Oh well, I guess that's why we only have it on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
So I get home today and my mom immediately starts grilling me about getting everything ready for Greece. It's like, "HI LIBBY - you're home early! Now, how much money do you want to exchange into Euros before you leave for Greece? Where are you going to get the Euros? Do you need to buy a certain kind of phone card?..." The list goes on, and on, and on. My mom is so cool though, because she is super organized and thinks of EVERYTHING ahead of time. It is such a gift. I can make fun of her for it, but in actuality I'd like to be more like my mom in that regard.
This week should be very interesting. I hope to find a balance between the mountains of homework that await me in my room and the overwhelming task of packing for an entire semester in Athens, Greece. 9 days doesn't seem so long anymore. :) But it will be good.
I am really starting to get excited about being in Greece for a semester, but not because I think it's going to be super fun, exotic, and exciting. I know that God is sending me to Athens, and I am excited to see Him at work. When I am weak, He is strong. And I can't wait to see His strength, provision, and faithfulness demonstrated in a very personal and powerful way. It's almost counterintuitive to desire to be vulnerable and "out of my comfort zone" in order to see God glorified in my weakness. But the Messiah coming to earth as a baby, living a humble life, and suffering an incredibly painful death was counterintuitive. Giving of oneself is counterintuitive. But all those things are good, so the problem lies in our intuition...
Well "dudes," enjoy your BREAK!!! Thanks for tuning in once again. Over and out.
~Lib
Song of the day: "Be That Way" - Go Fish
Home again, home again...
Today I fell in love with my mom's green bean casserole all over again. It's the best thing ever. If I had to limit my diet to a few chosen foods for the rest of my life, green bean casserole would definitely make the cut. It's so deceptive though, because I'm like, "yeah I'm eating green beans," ignoring the fact that everything else in the recipe is not so healthy. Oh well, I guess that's why we only have it on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
So I get home today and my mom immediately starts grilling me about getting everything ready for Greece. It's like, "HI LIBBY - you're home early! Now, how much money do you want to exchange into Euros before you leave for Greece? Where are you going to get the Euros? Do you need to buy a certain kind of phone card?..." The list goes on, and on, and on. My mom is so cool though, because she is super organized and thinks of EVERYTHING ahead of time. It is such a gift. I can make fun of her for it, but in actuality I'd like to be more like my mom in that regard.
This week should be very interesting. I hope to find a balance between the mountains of homework that await me in my room and the overwhelming task of packing for an entire semester in Athens, Greece. 9 days doesn't seem so long anymore. :) But it will be good.
I am really starting to get excited about being in Greece for a semester, but not because I think it's going to be super fun, exotic, and exciting. I know that God is sending me to Athens, and I am excited to see Him at work. When I am weak, He is strong. And I can't wait to see His strength, provision, and faithfulness demonstrated in a very personal and powerful way. It's almost counterintuitive to desire to be vulnerable and "out of my comfort zone" in order to see God glorified in my weakness. But the Messiah coming to earth as a baby, living a humble life, and suffering an incredibly painful death was counterintuitive. Giving of oneself is counterintuitive. But all those things are good, so the problem lies in our intuition...
Well "dudes," enjoy your BREAK!!! Thanks for tuning in once again. Over and out.
~Lib
Song of the day: "Be That Way" - Go Fish
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
November #2
Looky there, I am actually posting 2 days in a row (after taking a couple months off)! Right now Five Iron Frenzy's "Upbeats and Beatdowns" album is playing in my room, and that album is always a good time.
I finished most of my work for the rest of the week, so I decided to take the night off. So far I've done some packing for break (so that I can pack for Greece next week), listened to 2 (going on 3) FIF albums, and read through some of my old blog posts. It's weird to read stuff that I wrote a year ago. In some ways I feel like I've changed a lot, but in so many ways I haven't changed. Freaky-weird!!
So here I am, Libby the Dorkinator. Hmm, what else? Oh yeah, when I was packing up summerish clothes to bring home for packing, I found this one shirt that's kinda like a girls' basketball jersey. It's reversible and VERY cool. I'm way excited about this find, hence the reason that I'm wearing it now. My arms are a little cold, but I feel like I'm an African American. That must be b/c it's a basketball jersey, so subconsciously I feel good at basketball...haven't quite figured it out yet. The truth be told, I stink at basketball. Reality is harsh. ANYWHO...
GCC people and all you other college students, enjoy Thanksgiving break! Don't drop firewood on your big toe, don't let anybody slip anything into your drink (ahem, Kristin), and make sure to eat all your vegetables. ¡Los voces en mi cabeza me dijeron hacerlo! Adios.
~Leebee (as Belizeans like to pronounce my name)
Song of the day: "Spoiled Brat" - Calibretto 13
Looky there, I am actually posting 2 days in a row (after taking a couple months off)! Right now Five Iron Frenzy's "Upbeats and Beatdowns" album is playing in my room, and that album is always a good time.
I finished most of my work for the rest of the week, so I decided to take the night off. So far I've done some packing for break (so that I can pack for Greece next week), listened to 2 (going on 3) FIF albums, and read through some of my old blog posts. It's weird to read stuff that I wrote a year ago. In some ways I feel like I've changed a lot, but in so many ways I haven't changed. Freaky-weird!!
So here I am, Libby the Dorkinator. Hmm, what else? Oh yeah, when I was packing up summerish clothes to bring home for packing, I found this one shirt that's kinda like a girls' basketball jersey. It's reversible and VERY cool. I'm way excited about this find, hence the reason that I'm wearing it now. My arms are a little cold, but I feel like I'm an African American. That must be b/c it's a basketball jersey, so subconsciously I feel good at basketball...haven't quite figured it out yet. The truth be told, I stink at basketball. Reality is harsh. ANYWHO...
GCC people and all you other college students, enjoy Thanksgiving break! Don't drop firewood on your big toe, don't let anybody slip anything into your drink (ahem, Kristin), and make sure to eat all your vegetables. ¡Los voces en mi cabeza me dijeron hacerlo! Adios.
~Leebee (as Belizeans like to pronounce my name)
Song of the day: "Spoiled Brat" - Calibretto 13
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Time flies when you're havin' fun!
So here I am again, procrastinating. That seems to be a theme with blogging. Anywho...
This semester has been really amazing, yet radically different than the previous four. In preparing to study abroad next semester, there has been plenty of junk to do. It seems like the list never ends. It gets more and more exciting though, as the trip approaches. I will really miss my family and my friends here, not to mention Jason. But I know deep down that studying abroad is what I need to do, and I am stoked to see what God is going to do while I am in Athens. My prayer right now is that God will provide another Christian from College Year in Athens (the program that I am going with) for fellowship. So if you think of it, please join me in praying for this provision.
Hmm... What else? I am leaving for Belize, Central America, soon after finals are over. It'll be nice to spend a few weeks with my family before taking off for Greece (for over four months). Spending time together is Belize is literally being together ALL day long. It's really fun though, and it always proves to be a great bonding experience for my family. Plus, insane sun rays are involved...and who could pass up being tan as opposed to this freaky shade of blueish-gray! Oh, the benefits of being African American in the winter...
Well, I had better get back to studying for my test tomorrow. I hope to post somewhat regularly next semester while I am in Greece, so keep an eye out for more of the good stuff. No, silly willy, "the good stuff" is not referring to drugs, but rather, Libby's mad sweet crazy awesome posts. Well that was a lie. Thanks for reading my boring blog! Lata gata...
~Libbzerz
Song of the day - "You Can't Handle This" - Five Iron Frenzy
So here I am again, procrastinating. That seems to be a theme with blogging. Anywho...
This semester has been really amazing, yet radically different than the previous four. In preparing to study abroad next semester, there has been plenty of junk to do. It seems like the list never ends. It gets more and more exciting though, as the trip approaches. I will really miss my family and my friends here, not to mention Jason. But I know deep down that studying abroad is what I need to do, and I am stoked to see what God is going to do while I am in Athens. My prayer right now is that God will provide another Christian from College Year in Athens (the program that I am going with) for fellowship. So if you think of it, please join me in praying for this provision.
Hmm... What else? I am leaving for Belize, Central America, soon after finals are over. It'll be nice to spend a few weeks with my family before taking off for Greece (for over four months). Spending time together is Belize is literally being together ALL day long. It's really fun though, and it always proves to be a great bonding experience for my family. Plus, insane sun rays are involved...and who could pass up being tan as opposed to this freaky shade of blueish-gray! Oh, the benefits of being African American in the winter...
Well, I had better get back to studying for my test tomorrow. I hope to post somewhat regularly next semester while I am in Greece, so keep an eye out for more of the good stuff. No, silly willy, "the good stuff" is not referring to drugs, but rather, Libby's mad sweet crazy awesome posts. Well that was a lie. Thanks for reading my boring blog! Lata gata...
~Libbzerz
Song of the day - "You Can't Handle This" - Five Iron Frenzy
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