The Azusa Pacific Blog » Missions

Almost a JUNIOR… already?

Megan — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 23:57:52 +0000

I can’t believe that finals are in a few weeks and then this school year is officially over. My first two years of college have FLOWN by. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting in my room during senior year of high school wishing I was just at APU already. And I can honestly say that this school, the academics, the things I am involved in, and most of all, the people have never let me down. To come to APU will go down in my life as one of the most important and one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Read more on Almost a JUNIOR… already?…

This Past Year With Jesus.

Megan — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:44:22 +0000

I remember coming into APU and wondering where I would be at spiritually if I went here. (After all, I did give up my dream of moving to New York City and attending an Art School in favor of a Christian University that I thought I would really grow spiritually in.) I remember recently laughing at how I used to say I would NEVER in a million years go to a school that was Christian, I was so used to attending secular schools and being the odd one out. Now, I can NEVER imagine myself attending a university that is not APU, that does not uphold Christian values and morals.

Oh yeah, I’m here for academics.

Megan — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 22:20:41 +0000

SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN

invading the freshmen dance parties,

being weird with my roommates,

being consumed in how great Alpha is,

dressing up for living area events,

going out to dinner with incredible people,

and welcoming freshmen like a bunch of crazy people…

I have realized the truth of the matter. (Dun Dun Dunnnn) I’m here for school.

Sure, all the money your parents will be shelling out is not purely for academics, but a good chunk of it is. (Who knew a piece of paper at the end of 4 years could be so expensive!) As much as I feel it is more beneficial spending a night pouring into the lives of people and being behind in class the next day, at the same time I have had far too many lessons from God in how blessed I am to be educated here to push aside homework. (AKA: Teaching English in Tanzania this past summer and hearing student after student profess their career aspirations to me, it was 99.9% of the time one of three things: either a doctor, a pilot [so they can travel and see America], or a teacher. The options and opportunities are endless here but in other places it is not so much so.)

A Necessary Blog Post.

Megan — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:28:11 +0000

If you want to get technical, my run as an APU blogger ‘ended’ over four(ish) months ago when our summer break began. However, after the life changing eight weeks I spent this summer in Tanzania I felt that this post was entirely necessary after talking so much about this trip in my previous blogs.

I don’t really know where to begin, that seems to always be the toughest part about talking about a trip that had as big of an impact as this one had on me. I traveled to Tanzania (South-Eastern Africa) and spent two months there with a team put together by both the Office of World Missions and more importantly, God. (He hand picked this team perfectly, might I add.)

Some Last Thoughts

Megan — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:21:17 +0000

Next weeks marks finals week, and the last week of my freshmen year of college. The days keep going by faster and as much as I am excited for what next year and my entire future will look like, I find myself wishing time would somehow go by slower.

So here marks my freshmen year in a nutshell:

So excited to be moving into my new home!

Move-In day almost felt like it was straight out of a Hilary Duff movie (and I love Hilary Duff movies). Absolute madness, but one of the best days of my life. My stuff was moved in in no time and meeting my roommate was priceless.

one. more. month.

Megan — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 20:38:27 +0000

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.

Im Going to… Africa.

Megan — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 18:48:37 +0000

It all started with the beginning of the school year when I saw flyers for the mission trips that the Office of World Missions put together for the summer. It almost felt like some far off dream that wasn’t at all tangible. But I pursued it anyways.

And here I am months later with the reality that I am going to Africa for two months this summer. It is surreal to say the least. I was always that girl that laughed at all the Christians that went on the typical mission trips to Africa for a couple of weeks. I felt that it was all about what Facebook pictures you could upload after, it was about saying you went to Africa, and about having your life changed. While all of that is great, I never wanted that. All I wanted was to change other peoples lives and hopefully bring back a testimony that might help plant a seed in my parents hearts to bring them to know Jesus. Anyways, I pursued a lot of missions teams that were not located in Africa because I figured that my own perceptions on where I should and shouldn’t go would be the same as God’s.

Destination: Kingdom

Lindsay Cooper — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 22:15:02 +0000

“…listen:there’s a hell

of a good universe next door;let’s go”

—e e cummings

Have you ever felt the desperate and earnest desire to simply go? Transportation, schedules, and destinations suddenly have no meaning; you need to GO—go away from your current location, go away from your comfortable life, and dive into people’s lives that are void of hope and rife with confusion. Your soul is restless, unable to solve the equation of life, but not necessarily looking to find the solution. No part of yourself feels connected to where you are—even your feet are loosed from the ground—and your heart is plastered against the back of your chest, broken and simultaneously aching to escape. Somewhere in the back of your mind is the constant beckoning to a neighboring universe that is standing at your fingertips; a universe that, if you would extend your hand toward it, would come sprinting to hear the truth, jump on your back and say, “Let’s go.”

Making “The College Experience” Your Own.

Megan — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 21:47:13 +0000

In high school, I thoroughly remember all the clubs, organizations, and opportunities that arose to be involved in. However, it was rare that many people actually DID THEM. Going into college, I promised myself I would not stick to that same mindset that all of those opportunities are unimportant and “boring.” I knew that I wanted to be involved, and somehow influential in other peoples lives. But I didn’t know how. I have to say though, all of the opportunities that APU places in the palm of every single students hand are worthwhile. I would fair to say that they give you too many opportunities (if thats possible?). I have spent many nights debating what things I wanted to do the most, because I am often in the dilemma of being overly committed to too many things.

Mexican Thanksgiving <3

Kelsey Bjugstad — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:07:39 +0000

My normal Thanksgiving consists of about 10 of my family members sitting around a table, eating some turkey, potatoes, and yams. I love those Thanksgiving, but this year I was eating homemade, fresh tamales with a different kind of family :)

A few of us eating the best Mexican food we've ever had!

Instead of going home for Thanksgiving I went to Mexico with the Mexico Outreach group. It was such an awesome experience! I honestly could talk (or type) for hours… so I’ll just give a few highlights.

I love everyone in this photo so much!