Rose with a Mission

  It started on Saturday night. I had been feeling some pain in my foot, but I brushed it off. By Sunday night the pain was bad and a white bump had appeared. Thinking it was a wort, I went to bed thinking I would deal with it the next day. I woke up that night in bad pain. By morning it had grown and it was hurting to walk. After consulting with some of the nurses here, they recommended that I get a doctor to look at it. Since I don't have insurance this was problematic because I wasn't sure where to go or what to do. Thankfully God wasn't surprised by my foot problem. He sent one of my classmates to help me. She stepped in and got me an appointment with her foot doctor the next day. Talk about God working to provide for your needs! The next day with bad pain and a growing bump on my heel, I walked into see the doctor. He was quickly able to diagnosed it as an infected blood blister, cut a chunk out of my heel, clean it out, and give me care instructions. His assistant kep...

  From crying in the classroom, to hearing stories over lunch, to encountering spiritual warfare, to deep conversations with friends, to a visit from my family this pasty week has been packed.  It was so fun to have my family come visit. It felt so good to share meals with fun conversations, play spoons and keep track of points with Hersey kisses, stay up late talking about friendships, share chocolate covered strawberries, get a ton of hugs, and laugh at inside jokes. It was the best.  As they rolled out of the parking lot, I cried. I won't see most of them until graduation and I was already missing them. Even though I know this is exactly where I'm supposed to be, there are moments that I have to pay the cost of the path God has called me on. And still God calls me on. They joy in Him is worth anything I have to give up.  Class this week was focused on fulfilling the great commission, practical steps for being a good missionary, and the history of missions. Our spe...

  Today marks the halfway point in lecture phase. I find that hard to believe. It seems like just yesterday that I showed up back here and now we are deep in the middle of classes, growing relationships, and spending time with Jesus.   This week has been a challenging one for me. In class we were challenged with studying 2 Peter 1:5 - 7. Add to your faith goodness, and to goodness, knowledge; self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, Godliness; and to Godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. Our teacher started with the beginning of this list and worked all the way through to the end. Wow, each one of these qualities was amazing to consider. Our teacher challenged us with questions were deep and probing. I've had a lot of conversations with God this week about where my heart is. Am I really living what I say I believe? Am I trusting Him in every area? I have emerged from this with Him with a deeper relationship and a deep...

  And just like that another week is in the books. Whew, hang on. Where did the time go? This weeks topic was the 7 Spheres of Influence. In any society you have government, celebration (arts, sports, entertainment), economy, family, education, church, and media. They all interact with each other, but each has a profound impact. I appreciated how our teacher encouraged us to think about questions deeply and shared a lot of history. He encouraged us to enter whatever sphere we are called to and be salt and light.  It definitely encouraged me in my filmmaking. And that wasn’t the only time God brought up my filmmaking this week.   During a prayer time God gently showed me how I’d been letting fear get me down. I was afraid that the film I’m making would turn out bad and people wouldn’t like it. I was afraid that I would be labeled sub-par and canceled. I confessed this to my prayer group. They all encouraged me and prayed over me. It made me feel better and helped me s...