Life these days

Oh my goodness! So I am absolutely loving life at JBU! I don't even know where to begin! God has blessed me with some sweet friends. My roommate, Erynn is totally amazing and Alicia and Kaitlin (across the hall from us) are such sweeties! We are pretty much going to be best friends for life we've decided. And it's great because Kaitlin wants to adopt 7 kids. I want to have 7 kids, Alicia wants a lot of kids, and Erynn wants at least 4. We will have many fun college friend reunions :) But that's a long way off. Focusing more on the here and now for a moment: I have been learning so much lately. Everything is so different, and I'm constantly getting used to the new college way of life.
What are some examples you ask?
Here are a few:
1) Being around girls 24/7! Here at Mayfield, we have a blast. We had a paint war the other day, a "ring-down" last night, many wonderful conversations in the hallways, a few SDP ( Secret Dance Parties...there is a 2 min. dance limit here at JBU..Mr. John Brown didn't really approve dancing for fun!), listening to Alicia's favorite Mexican music (She's obsessed!), and doing life with the girls around here. It truly is a blessing to be here! I often feel like I'm at Pine Cove because of the sweet community and intentionality of all these girls! Thank you God for putting me here!
2) Standing awkwardly in the food line in the car when you don't know anyone next to you. Why does this freak us out? I mean seriously, the other day I thought I was going to have a heart attack because I didn't know where my friends were sitting! It's gotten a little better since then though.
3) Going to class for a max of 3 hours a day and having to be responsible  to take care of the endless list of homework. Talk about syllabus shock! The first few days I was totally over my head, but I've seen some positive change since then. I like to knock out my homework so I can have my evenings open for fun friend time!
4)The dilemma of figuring out what to do for fun here in little ole Siloam Springs- This place..like I just said..is tiny! There aren't really that many good places to eat. A few Mexican restaurants, Subway, Quiznos, Brom's, and we have a Walmart and a Lowes. The main places I love are the adorable coffee shops down town:Cafe on Broadway and Pour John's. Playing frisbee, volleyball, MadGab, and driving around with Taylor Swift blasting really loud have been some highlights for sure.
5) Using community showers. This hasn't been bad considering the fact that the bathroom is next door to our room. They are very clean, but you have to be on your guard because every time a toilet flushes, the hot water turns extra hot. You must yell " Hot Water!!! " give your sistas a heads up :) I haven't gotten scalded yet, and I hope it stays this way!
6) Reading, reading, reading! I didn't know college involved so much reading! This takes some getting used to especially since a lot of it is on the computer. I am looking forward to some art classes with projects!

Well these are some of the things that have been going on lately. I'm just so blessed to be here. I've never attended a Christian school before, so this is truly an amazing experience. I am SO glad my parents are enabling me to go here!  My professors genuinely care for each student. They want to get to know us and they even pray for us in class! I've heard of Christian colleges, but JBU is completely Christ Centered. You can't miss it even if you wanted to which is what is so amazing to me. We are encouraged so much here. When times of doubt and hard trials hit, we are encouraged to wrestle through it with God just like Jacob wrestled with God. He is faithful. I love this article by Pollard, JBU's president.   file://localhost/Users/hrm019/Desktop/Gateway/Pollard.pages

This is our room. We  call it the "Tree House" because of the  amazing view we have. 

Our very first picture together AND in front of our new home!

      

Yes. This is Ben Rector! 

Bonhoeffer- Agent of Grace

Yesterday I watched this incredible movie about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Christian minister who lives in Germany and ends up working for an undercover group trying to assassinate Hitler. Bonhoeffer's life inspires me so much. All I really know about him is from this movie, but I'm looking forward to reading about him more in the future. Every time the Nazis gave him the chance to work for them and be safe, he refused. Through this radical way of living and standing up for the gospel even when it literally hurt, Bonhoeffer lived a life that had eternal purpose. Many times in the movie, it was made clear that he was looking forward to heaven. This life just isn't where it ends. I won't give it all away, but let's just say he shocked many a Nazi when he refused their offers of earthly comfort. He courageously accepted his fate at the end, looking forward to seeing God face to face. I found myself in tears multiple times, praising God for the gospel. It's worth dying for. This world just isn't it.  :)

Just a few words...

I'm so excited that I have my very own blog! I guess I've always wanted one so I could make it all cute and keep my close friends posted on the big events in my life. I know this will not be an outstanding blog that everyone is going to want to read, but it's not meant to be that. As I dive into the next phase of life at John Brown University, I know things will come up that are worth telling people about, so that is why I have this. As I learn more about Graphic Design, I'm sure I will change my profile background multiple times :)
Well, I have nine days until leaving for college, so I will be packing up, saying my goodbye's and preparing to move to a new place with new people and new everything! I praise God for all he has done in my life and all he is going to do these next four years. It will be an exciting journey!
My mom and I came up with the name "The Rambling Rose" because a) it has my middle name in it and b) this blog will consist of my thoughts as they come..no particular order to it. So it's the perfect name!