This week has been pretty consistent with the norm for a week at APU. The chapels have been great. The classes have been challenging yet very interesting. The weather’s been totally unpredictable. We go from scorching hot to raining and cold in less than a week. It’s actually pretty exciting, I never know what I’ll wake up to. I had another test in anatomy. I went to Kaleo tonight (the Wednesday night chapel). I spent some quality time laughing with my roommates this morning over facility management’s entertainment/possible annoyance with the completely avoidable flood in our bathroom.
In all the norm however, God has put a few things on my heart this week that I would love to share. One thing about APU that I personally don’t believe you could find anywhere else are people who truly brighten your day every time you cross paths. When I was first touring the school before I came here, I immediately noticed something different about APU’s campus. People smile at you and say hello when you walk by, and open doors for you. This is a different kind of Christian university, there’s something so special about it.
My family goes to a Christian camp on Catalina Island every summer called Campus by the Sea (aka CBS). This is where I could say I first began having an interest in attending Azusa Pacific. The summer before my senior year in high school, one of my long time girl friends was talking about possibly going to APU for college. I would say that the kind of people who run and go to CBS are role models for me in my aspiration to be the best Christian girl I can. This may seem irrelevant to what I was saying about APU being a special place, however, it was kind of the deciding factor for me choosing to come here for college. I absolutely love going to CBS every summer for one reason. You can truly feel God’s presence there. When I stepped foot on APU’s campus as a little tour student, this same feeling of God’s presence washed over me with an intensity I never could have imagined.
His presence on this campus is ever more and more obvious to me every day. It pours from the Upper Turner Campus Center and Felix Event Center during chapels. It’s ever present in the classrooms. But most significantly, I experience God’s presence and love every single day in the students and faculty.
I was having lunch with three of my friends on Tuesday afternoon. I don’t know why this day stuck out so much for me as being one where I knew God was present. Danielle is probably one of the most caring and selfless people I have ever met. She is there for me every single time I’m feeling down, or just need to talk. Mitch is such a huge support. He pushes me to do my best, and walks alongside me in pursuing my faith and life goals. Jeffrey is just such a joy. His bubbly personality and overflowing happiness with life is contagious to everyone around him. As we talked, I felt so much love and care just overflowing from each of their hearts. I had been having a fairly stressful day, and my lunch with them put me at complete peace. These are the Christians I want to be like. I thank God every day for calling me to a school where its normal to have friends like these. I don’t think you can find these kind of people or these kind of Christ-centered friendships everywhere. APU is a God filled school. I hope you have the chance to experience the environment I have the privilege of living in every day.
