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Homesick For a Place I’ve Never Been

Renna Nightingale Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

Wisdom from my dear friend, Francesca: “Listen up to what God has to say. He tends to be the loudest when we’re the loneliest.”

The South Africa semester has recently journeyed from Pietermaritzburg to the beautiful Cape Town. We have about two weeks left in Africa.

I’ve been feeling lonely recently. And when I feel lonely in a foreign country, such as South Africa, I often feel the need to talk to my best friend, who happens to be my mother. It’s been weeks since I last spoke with her.

The internet here is not exactly reliable… therefore, I haven’t even been able to email my mom and let her know how she can pray for me, which is somewhat discouraging, and rather frustrating.

And I was crying out to God.

“DADDY! WHY will you not let me talk to my mom?! It’s been forever! And I need her!!!”

(Don’t read this next part, Mom.)

And God said, “Ren. I am all you need. You are whole in me.”

I processed this.

“Yeah. God, you are so RIGHT!” Because, let’s face it. Mom can’t be with me now, thanks to stinky internet and, oh yeah, THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of miles and oceans and all that jazz.

But God CAN be with me.

And He IS.

When this epiphany sunk in, and I relinquished any intention of skyping the madre, GUESS WHAT.

I got to talk to my mom.

God, now you’re just showing off!

Alas, when the internet worked well enough to carry on a conversation, we had to leave OF COURSE. But it was ok. I caught Mom up and let her know there was air in my lungs. Therefore, all is right in the world.

So, because my roommate Debs is legitimately AMAZING, of course we had a life changing conversation on the way home.

We were talking about being homesick. (A common topic these days.) Debs commented, “I’m already homesick for Pietermaritzburg. And when I get home, I know I’ll be homesick for Cape Town. So I know that I’ll always be homesick for somewhere else. Because even now, I’m homesick for a place I’ve never been.”

She had puzzled me on that last one. “What do you mean?”

“I’m homesick to be with God in Heaven.”

This goofy, GINORMOUS smile crept on my face and WOULD NOT GO AWAY!!! It was great. Debs couldn’t stop laughing at my goofy smile and I couldn’t stop smiling goofily. We were obviously meant to be roommates.

When I finally gained control of my face, Debs asked, “Have you been reflecting on your time recently?”

“Absolutely! I feel like I almost reflect too much. At the beginning of the semester, I felt like I learned lessons EVERY DAY. Which was awesome. But right now, I feel like I’m on the brink of this HUGE lesson that’s taken a while to be taught to me. But I can’t quite decide what it is.”

After dinner, I decided what that lesson was.

Here it is:

God is teaching me to place EVERYTHING in Him. Seriously, EVERYTHING: my confidence, my worth, love, belonging, trust, hope, dreams, desires, fun, attitude, and HOME.

I realized today that if I was somehow able to make God my home, that would pretty much fix ALL my life’s problems.

Where do you feel most comfortable? Where are you always loved? Where do you always feel safe? Where do you want to go when you hurt? Where do you store your treasures? Where are the ones that will always love you, through thick and thin, pain and joy?

Home.

God is our home. I don’t have to try to BE anyone else when I am with Him! I am enough for Him, JUST as I am! But I’m not JUST me. Because, really? It’s FOUR for the price of one:

Me, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

They live in me.

So, I’m never alone. And I can’t place worth in JUST myself, because that would be like ignoring ¾ of me!

Basically, I’m never alone, I don’t have to fight for acceptance, I never have to feel like I’m not at home, or feel afraid because God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are with me.

I’ve found my home.

And just like Dorothy and Toto, I had to leave my house and go to another world to find what I’ve been looking for, even though it’s been there the entire time.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I have found my home.

I am home. No matter where I am or who I’m with, or what my situation is, I am at home.

Home.

It’s such a great word, isn’t it?

Home.

 

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one. more. month.

Megan Monday, April 11th, 2011

One more month of my freshmen year. The last time I will ever be a freshmen… in my life. Crazy. This year has seriously flown by faster then I ever thought it would. I feel like I just got here, move-in day seems like it was just yesterday. By far, it has been the best year of my life. I have met people that I can’t imagine living life without. I have met people that have inspired me, encouraged me, and shown me what it means to pursue Christ with all of your being. There are people that I can never repay for the way that they have poured into my life. I have grown as a person, and even more so I have grown in my relationship with God. The way I have experienced God while being here is extraordinary.

It is insane to think of how originally APU was not on my rater of colleges at all. I had a whole different plan, but this was God’s plan for me. And it is infinitely better then any other place I could have ended up. This is my home now, these people are like family. This community is like family. For some people, picking a college is all about the city your in, or the look of the campus, or how great their food is, or even how good the school name will look on your resume. While I would fare to say that there are so many schools that rank better at those things then APU, I would also fare to say that in terms of community and the people, APU ranks number one. I could never imagine myself anywhere else, surrounded by any other group of individuals.

Besides school ending next month, I have a little over one more month until I leave for my mission trip to Tanzania. It is surreal at this point. The way that God has opened doors for this trip, prepared me and equipped me personally for this trip, and bonded my team is just so amazing. It has been a true testimony to how God will get you somewhere if He really wants you there. God really wants me there. If I ended up at any other place, I would not be going on this mission trip in a month. And that in itself is just a weird thought. This mission trip IS where I am supposed to be, and APU got me here. I haven’t even been on the trip yet and I already cannot imagine my life without it.

One more month until I move out of the dorms. Oh boy, that’s going to be a sad day. I will miss spontaneous trips to ‘The Hat’ or ‘Donut Man’ or ‘In-N-Out.’ I will miss beach days with my hall and waking up at 3AM to pillow fights outside and girls screaming in the hall (I know, weird thing to miss right?). I will miss Monday night cramming into a room and watching The Bachelor. I will miss constantly having my door open and never being able to get homework done because people walk in every 2 seconds. I will miss moving my mattress into other rooms and having sleepovers. I will miss spontaneous dance parties and movie nights. I will miss getting ready for GYRAD and walking into the bathroom every morning to see the whole bathroom filled with girls getting ready. I will miss spending hours on end in the study room during finals, but never having a dull moment because there are 10 other girls studying in there too. I will miss never having to be alone, unless I choose to be. I will miss sitting out on Trinity Lawn doing homework on a beautiful sunny day. I will miss every single thing about living in the dorms, it was hands-down one of the greatest parts of my freshmen year. Some of the girls on my hall will be my friends for eternity (seriously).

But there are so many things to look forward to:

  • I am going to be an ALPHA LEADER next year, which I could not be any more excited about. I am so blessed to be able to pour into the lives of incoming freshmen. I can only hope that I influence the lives of my “alphies” as my alpha leader influenced my own.
  • Next year I will be living in an apartment with two of the girls on my hall. They are some of the most caring, encouraging, and fun girls I have ever met. I can’t wait.
  • My schedule of classes for next semester…. THREE art classes. So stoked.
  • Spring Semester I am planning on studying abroad (either South Africa, England, Italy, or London!)
  • Much far into the future… my Junior year… I am going to pursue being an R.A. for the freshmen in the dorms.

If you are going to be a freshmen at APU next year I have one piece of advice for you… GET EXCITED. Your life will be changed and will look nothing like what it does right now (in a good way). You will grow, learn, experience things you never imagined you would, and make friendships that will last a lifetime. Looking back, I enjoyed high school, but college is a new level of enjoyment.

If you are not going to be a freshmen at APU next year, GET EXCITED ANYWAYS. Be in prayer about where God is leading you, be pursuing Him, and rejoice in all that you do have right now.

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The Freshmen Experience

Mallory Monday, April 4th, 2011

WOW. Is it alright if I start off by just saying that?

I cannot believe that it is already APRIL and I have spent SEVEN months here.

(Before I get started, I just wanted to apologize that I have not been keeping up with my blogs. College is crazy and finding the time to create them was a task within itself. So here is a MEGA blog of my most memorable experiences!)

Decades

1. Spirit Nights! One of my favorite nights was “Decade Night.” Many of these nights also come with performances by the dorms or dances that everyone can come to! It is a great way to take a break from the studies andDSCN3523 have some fun!

2. THE HOOTENNANNY! This event kicked off the year! The only request was to wear plaid and have a good time with all your new friends! There were jump houses, a swing set, racing bathtubs, cotton candy, snow cones and so much more!

Yacht Club 23. Yacht Club: This Black & White party is hosted in the UYacht Clubniversity Park around the pool. It’s a classy semi-formal event where students gather to enjoy music, food and each others’ company. The best part about the Yacht Club for me is getting to dress up! Everyone loves dress up!

4. Sport Events! APU has the most amazing sport teams out there! From football to basketball to tennis, there is nBiola Gameever a dull moment! There is nothing better than cheering for the winning touch down or buzzer beater shot during the games! Face paint and a black out shirt is all that is needed to rally up some spirit!

5. The Hike! One of the MUST DO evCrossents at APU is the “hike to the A.” Once at the top of the mountain, it’s only a few more feet and you get to see a spectacular site! At the top there is a beautiful cross and the most gorgeous view of the city. I went with my roommates at night and we got to excape the chaos of the city and sit in peace with each other and most importantly, with God.

6. The Location!  There is never a dull moment here because it onDisneylandly takes a couple minutes to find something to do! Azusa is perfectly placed besides the moutains and about a half hour outside of Los Angeles and the coast. My roommate and I Gleewent to Los Angeles one weekend and saw Matthew Morrison,  aka Will Schuester, from Glee for a concert! When the sun is out, like it always is, students find their way to the beach to relax! Hollywood and Disneyland are also just “down the street!”

7. Hall Events! Living in the dorms is what every teenager looks forward to going into college. Dorm life is GYRADwhere frienships are made and developed. So many events go on in the dorms and each hall is differnt. For my hall we had “Tea Time” where we would get together, drink tea and reflect on what God is doing in our lives. Some other popular events are GYRAD (Get You Roommate A Date) and BroomBall!

There will  be moments in your life that you pray will go by quickly, but this is definitely not one of those moments. Time is flying by faster than anyone ever told me it would. It seems like yesterday that I was walking across the stage to get my Diploma and now I’m finding myself packing up my bags for the second year of my college experience. No one is going to tell you that this is easy and let me assure you that it is not! But you have to remember one thing: God is working in your life everyday. Whether you recognize it or not, He is always with you. Through thick and thin, He should always be your focus in life.

Azusa Pacific was strengthened my faith in the Lord more than I ever imagined going into college. This college and this experienced is something that I would never trade. I am forever thankful for everything that is happening in my life here :)

Much blessings,

Mallory

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Mosaic

Renna Nightingale Monday, March 28th, 2011

I spent a huge part of my day working with mosaics at my service site, Ethembeni.

Tonight in D group, I realized something. We are mosaics.

We start out as a glass figure of some sort, carved by our own agendas, issues, and limited understanding.

Then a time comes when the Lord decides to break us. He smashes apart all of our pre-conceived notions, our misconceptions, and the identity given to us by the world.

But it is here that the Lord takes the pieces that are worthwhile and molds, shapes, and places them to create something new, and something more beautiful. The work now reflects the craftsman and is much more beautiful than before.

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then death is at work in us, but life is at work in you…

Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly, we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

-2 Corinthians 4:6-18

We are fighting an unseen battle. When I’m discouraged, I will remind myself that. Because even though OUTWARDLY, we are wasting away, we are being renewed day by day.

Satan thinks he is winning by attacking the physical body. But what chance does a body stand against the spirit when God commands the spirit?

Today, I was completely broken. It’s one thing to hear about the problems Africa faces. It is quite another to fall in love with African children and see how they are directly impacted by these problems.

How can I possibly help these children? All I can do is let them play with my hair, hold them, perform cheesy skits, and give one of them a sweatshirt.

How does that really help?

Something that is amazingly comforting is simply knowing that all I have to do is be open to what God is doing, and He will work through me. There is nothing I have to do but volunteer to be the chess piece God uses in a particular time and place. I am the vessel, and He is the miracle.

I couldn’t believe how joyful they are. They have literally NOTHING. And yet, they praise God. Tonight in D group, Liana reminded me that, “Blessed are the poor.” NEVER has that been so true. They are blessed because when they are given ANYTHING, they are JOYFUL and THANKFUL.

Having material items does NOT make us blessed. It makes us blind. We are blinded by physical things! Africa has faith because they have NOTHING else! But how would you rather be?! The LORD provides for them! And they are close to the LORD because they are reliant upon Him!

I am not saying it’s a curse to have things. It’s not. But, too much of anything is negative, hey? I believe it is my calling to bless others. Where much is given, much is required.

Liana was just a fountain of wisdom tonight. One of my favorite things she said was, “You’ll never see change in yourself until you stop looking at yourself and start staring at Jesus.”

It’s hard not to stop and question, “How am I changed? What’s different?”

And I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

But how much more change could be occurring if you don’t get in the way of God’s plans by examining yourself?

Not only am I staring at God. I am chasing after him.

Today God smashed me into a thousand pieces. He is busy designing and creating my mosaic. I am hoping when He is done, the mosaic will not look like me. I am hoping it will be a reflection of the craftsman.

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Executive coach spends time with executive students

Nick Karim Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

Jason Womack, executive coach to global leaders, visited campus last week to talk to undergraduate students and students in The School of Business & Management’s Young Executive MBA and MA, Management programs. Womack came to campus a few weeks ago to get a better feel for our culture and how our students could most benefit from his expertise.  After returning last Thusday, March 17th he offered the following three tips for students:

1. Follow up with one new person you meet each week. Build your professional network long before you need to call on it.

2. Practice makes…comfortable. We do what we’ve done. So, if it’s time to do something new, it helps to practice on small things to prepare to perform on important ones.

3. Care. More. The world is a big place, and even though, we can play a big part by keeping our focus on what’s important to us. Care about that, learn about that, and share that with others.

Students can find his book about the importance of promise making called The Promise Effect here: http://www.tinyurl.com/TPDonAmazon. In addition, between now and June 15th, 2011 anyone can schedule a 30 minute call by visiting http://www.tungle.me/jasonwomack

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I love APU because…

Megan Friday, March 11th, 2011
  • The other day I walked into my Psychology class a little early, finding the previous professor that was teaching in that class talking to a student about personal issues it seemed. She was venting about a broken friendship and he gave her advice like a friend, or even a dad would. It made me smile because professors here truly and honestly care for us as people, not just as students that need a grade and a diploma.
  • Today (Thursday), the band Jars of Clay played in the Amphitheater in the afternoon. Finishing a midterm and then sitting and watching a wonderful band play next to great friends of mine was awesome and a great end to my school week.
  • Today I was walking to class and a guy was opening the door to class and didn’t realize I was behind him, therefore not opening the door for me. He turned around and apologized. It made my day. How many guys care enough about something as small as opening a door that they apologize when they forget to? Makes me love going to a school surrounded by people that care about their faith and being Christ-like.
  • It is in Southern California. And being born and raised only an hour away I will never lose my love for clear skies, warm weather, and being able to sit outside in the grass outside my dorm and do homework. It was the most beautiful day today.
  • Sunday I found out that I got the position as Alpha Leader for next year and I could not be any more excited to be able to share my love of people, APU, and more then anything, Jesus. I love that we have so many opportunities to use the gifts we have to benefit others and glorify God.
  • I get to worship God through music at Chapel alongside people I go to class with, serve with, eat with, and live with 3+ times a week.
  • People here are genuine. I have never met such passionate, God-fearing individuals in my life. But at the same time I love that you don’t have to profess to believe in Jesus to be educated here. We learn from people at all walks in their life, with all backgrounds, and with various beliefs. We have opportunities to reach out, show the love of Christ, and simultaneously look up to others.
  • I walk around campus and see our president (John Wallace) socializing, teachers having lunch with students, and students praying. Call me crazy but this would have NEVER happened in high school.
  • I love APU because it seems that everyone that goes here loves APU. There is almost a general consensus that our school rules, and it makes it rule that much more.

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