And life goes on.

Since day two of being here, Marisa's car has not been working. Through extensive research (aka: asking Taylor), we figured out it was a problem with the ignition cylinder. Finally, after prompting Marisa to start her car (yes, in the end, it was me who fixed her car by a prompt), it started! I'm guessing it was frozen and finally melted due to the extreme heat outside. So we decided to go out to eat, walk around the mall, visit Target, and leave Marisa's phone in the Target parking lot. Luckily some kind person called my phone saying they found Marisa's phone and we got it back. From 7-8pm and 2-3a Marisa and I had signed up to do the 24-hour prayer vigil (1-2  people from Cottonwood signing up for an hour prayer slot to pray at the chapel on campus). It was great! You never realize just how much you need to pray about until about two hours into it. I could've gone for another round but alas, we needed to return home because of this thing we refer to as "college class". 

Lots of goodness has been going on around here. My roommate went to church with me on Sunday and even came to homegroup that night! I'm hoping and praying she'll continue to come. One thing that caught me off guard last night (2-3am...) was that on the prayer request list someone had written down how they feel like there are no personal relationships going on within the church. They feel that we hang out at organized events and game nights, but outside of that no one is watching their back and they're left alone. I realized just how true this is. Sure, we see each other often, but no one is taking that step to keep up with these people we try to start relationships with. No one is talking to you throughout the day, sending a friendly text, or really investing time into your life. I find this is so even in my case, but I haven't noticed much because fortunately God has been the answer to all my sorrow. But it hurt me to see that other people were feeling that way. We do a fantastic job at outreach, evangelism, and good deeds, but the relationships within the church need some work. No church is perfect, but I'm sure glad I'm at Cottonwood Community Church!

News... news... hmmm... Not much news here except: 1. I'm sad because I don't believe I'll get to go back home this summer. 2. I walked out of Greek near tears because I bombed a Greek test (which never happens). 3. Taking 20 credits while paying two rents, trying to keep two jobs and also struggling to get my hours in for field experience really is strenuous. But I'm awesome (hence: "Being Awesome 101"). Woot woot Amen Amen wooty woot woot hallelujah amen! (A new worship song by Donica Severson)

TOODLES

-Donica

Thoughts.

First off, a small tangent of yesterday:

1. We (group of 11) went to Fargo simply to eat at Olive Garden. 

2. I have officially defiled my nice piece of equipment (aka: camera). It's been used as a camera phone would be used. I don't even know why I bring it along anymore... someday I'm going to take a picture with it and say, "Hey, I'm so glad I had this Nikon with me to document such a fine moment". Someday...

Here's onee of two pictures that were taken of this adventure:

OckSun and Marisa. Marisa was excited to see the unicorns (little did she know the unicorn pretense was completely false. It's how we get her to do things...)

I learned some things on the ride back from Fargo yesterday about Korean culture. This came about when Delissa called me and when I answered the phone she was singing  and wouldn't stop... I told her to stop, but no, she called me to sing. OckSun overheard this and started laughing and mentioned how she wish she could  be like that with her brother. She then told me how back home (South Korea) they went to school 8am-10pm and basically only thought of her home as a place to sleep. She had no memories made in that home with her family, or really with her family in general. Of course for someone like me (6 kid family), this is hard to comprehend. I really have no other thoughts on the subject. Just thought I would share that...

On a DIFFERENT note: I'm taking a New Testament/Christian Scripture class by an atheistic, liberal professor. I was excited at the knowledge that I would be able to speak up and disagree numerous times (I LOVE to debate), but as the class has progressed, I've become a little confused. The professor had us all write a "Letter to the Professor" telling him our religious background, as much as we wanted to say about what he believe, and how we think that will affect the way we will interpret the bible. He entered the classroom and asked us to pass these letters to the front of the class. I looked behind and watched the pile grow bigger and bigger as it moved toward the front, and I began to think about how weird it was that here we were, handing up our beliefs on pieces of paper. I desperately wanted to read them all. After a few discussions in class, I discovered there was more to biblical skepticism than I had thought... My professor has a fantastic view about the Christianity conspiracy, and yet many of the things he said convicted me to the core. He wrote a list of different beliefs in Paulian/Christian faith on the chalkboard and discussed them. He then circled them for emphasis and said "So if all this were true, then you had better go and start telling everyone about it. Why on earth you would you not want to immediately go out and share all this knowledge? According to this faith, God could be coming at any moment, you could die at any moment, time is of the essence". OF course I, believing everything in that circle, was instantly convicted. Why would I not want to go out and tell everyone? 

All in all, this class has played with my mind. I've been forced to examine the New Testament not from a confessional, but from a historical-critical point of view. It's different. I'm understanding Paul better, and many things in my faith are being/will be slowly strengthened, but I'm also being challenged in many ways. I have to admit, I absolutely thrive off of challenge. 

That's it for now Grand Forks, thank you and goodnight.

-Donica


P.S., someone is looking at my apartment tomorrow! This is too great! Yay!

It’s late.  I’m tired. I really just don’t want to think about anything; and yet all I can do is think. I feel like I’ve been quite good at accepting not only the good God gives me, but also the bad. This is merely what I I thought… I shed tears tonight for the first time since who-knows-when, but immediately felt humiliated that I was at that point. Here’s the dealio: Marisa Kauffman is now moved in at the Hamline house and we’ve both started our semester here at UND (YAY!).  I helped her move in, and she returned the favor. This girl I had met while searching for an apartment for Marisa texted me while I was headed back to GF saying that she needed a roommate. Well, I had looked at this apartment in prospects for Marisa, but it was filled and apparently the girl backed out so it was vacant. This apartment is on-campus, and about $100/month cheaper than my other place. I wouldn’t need to mooch rides! So I called my mother and told her that Kridhita (my new roommate)has others interested in the apartment so it was basically first come first serve. My mom advised to go ahead and get it and then look for a roommate to fill my place in the old apartment. I hastily agreed and told Kridhita I would move in. Oh yes. Yes I did. I know, hasty, foolish, and screaming for trouble. But God has blessed me greatly when I heed to my parents advice so I was okay with it. I had told my roomies last semester that I was looking for a cheaper place and was planning on paying rent until I found them a roommate (soooooo much drama about “unfair/fairness” that I won’t go into). Needless to say, they were not happy. The hard part for me has been not pointing out the “unfairness” that I’ve been through this whole past semester and why I’m right and so on and so forth. I’ve had very mean thoughts and words I’ve wanted to say but the Lord has had mercy on me and provided me with the grace to let only kind words out. It’s so hard. Especially when I’ve been cheated all semester ;)

I have so much going on! 20 credits, paying two rents, juggling two jobs, trying to work out a way to get accepted to the teaching program so I can come up next year and student teach, and blah blah blah I won’t bore you any longer. LORD PLEASE HELP ME! Crying tonight was such a weak point. I need to be cheerful and trusting in all circumstances! God is probably laughing at every little foolish choice and mistake I make. I can imagine Him cringing at my choice of car (sold to me when broken head gaskets. Bye bye car…and money…), and my hasty housing decision. But I’m also gonna trust that He can make bad decisions work for good. I just need some encouragement… Anywho, that’s a short (but oh so long!) glimpse at hectic, insane life in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Toodles!