A Strange Dream Indeed.

So I frequently have strange dreams. And this one was surprisingly long and clear. So I think I'll tell you just for funsies. 

But it's kinda long, so don't try too hard if it's boring you. 

Alright, my story starts off with my brosif and I riding in this train car, but we're chained up. He's fast asleep, and I had just woken up due to the rough ride.

I look out the window and everything is dark. It's still earth, but the lights are turned off. Yet, it's not night. It was weird.

Anyway, we pull up to this nondescript looking square building on the right. There is a sidewalk in front of it, and there are just blackish grey walls going out from both sides of it.

We are escorted off the train and put in a coal car. (ya know? like the old ones from the mines? they're on train tracks?) So we're going down a dark tunnel lit by tiny electric lights near the very low ceiling.

We finally stop and I'm taken aback by the sign that looms over the door. 

PRISON OF SIN

what? I couldn't even put my thoughts together as I was taken under the sign and through the door.

They stuck me in a room with my bro and we couldn't speak. literally. no voice. 

He had the same confused look, but we couldn't do much. I took comfort in him being there with me, but  the building was about as dungeon like and scary as could be. Several minutes later two men came and brought a little girl to me. Her name is Ruby. She's my favorite little girl in the world. She ran to me and cried and wouldn't look at me. I wanted to tell her everything would be ok, but I couldn't.  Before they pulled her off of me, she looked at me with big brown tear stained eyes of disappointment. 

What had I done???

They took her from me, then they took me from the room down another dark hall and put me in a dirty, damp cell that had only a small bed. 

I sat down so confused and cried. 

When I looked up, there was a sign lit up at the top of my room. It said

Sexual Immorality 

in bright red letters.

All I remember thinking is since when can you be arrested for that??

Some time later, my best friend, Kelsey, suddenly showed up in my cell all bubbly and happy like always telling me we were going shopping. They signed me what looked like a hall pass and out of that jail we went. 

I wasn't sure how we were going to get back out of this dreadful building, but then all the sudden w turned into grey shiny flubber stuff and we speedily rolled out. (like real fast)

Next I remember us coming back and getting in trouble for leaving. Kelsey got kicked out, and I was sent back to my cell. 

I sat there reading letters from my parents and friends telling me that it would be ok and that I would be out soon. 

Then I woke up.

It was so strange. And I don't even know what to think of it. 

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day.

Love it or hate it?

Does it depend on your facebook relationship status whether you like it or not?

Strange.

I honestly don't know how I feel about this holiday.

On one hand, girls like to feel special, and Valentine's Day is definitely a nice way to feel special.

But then again, theres the argument that boys should treat them that way all year.

Hm.

But what if you don't have a significant other?

Yes, Valentine's Day sort of stinks for single people.

Well I suppose only if you let it...

To be completely honest, I kinda have a bad attitude about it this year.

But, I'm trying not to let it get me down.

The weather is beautiful outside, and I have amazing friends who can be single with me!

And I have a God who loves me more than any man ever can.

His love is so much greater than I can even imagine, 

and I'm trying to let that sink in this Valentine's Day.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

-1 John 4:9-11

Happy Valentine's Day!!

My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less...Than Getting My MRS?

So this weekend, Janine Jordaan and I went on a fun little expedition to Boone, Iowa. Fun little trip I must say. It was quite eventful if I do say so myself. 


It began well with my car starting on it's own, and not needing Dodge to jump it! We left a few minutes late, but were in high spirits. Pretty uneventful ride just chatting it up about life, boys, school, and summer. Pretty typical ride. We stopped at a slightly ghetto K-Mart for Little Caesars PIzza where we looked kinda stupid and had a nice awkward experience with the lady.  We asked for a pepperoni pizza. She replied, "No. Come back in 10 years when I'm dead." (Jordaan and I stared at her and each other confused like as i muttered a please?) Somehow we got out of that situation and got our pizza and were back on the road! 


We ate our pizza, and I called Sandy to see where she was and when she was leaving. She was lost. And frustrated. Very frustrated. We finally decided to meet her at a Casey's on HW 30, but somehow we missed each other. (We think it was because we had already passed it before we decided to meet there, but who knows) So, we didn't find her. We stopped at another Casey's and waited 20 min for her to drive back to us. But we were FINALLY united with Sandy. 


We drove about 20 minutes to the YMCA where we grabbed all our stuff and headed in. We came to the front desk, and happily said we were here for the women's retreat. And we got a blank stare back. She had no idea what we were talking about. So, she went to the back room and got us some nice info that this retreat was at the Y camp. Not the YMCA. So, we picked up all our stuff and headed back out to the car with an address to the Y camp. We plugged it into the GPS and hit Go! 


So, back out on the road, no more than two minutes goes by, and we're about to go over rail road tracks. I look left out of instinct, and theres a train coming at us. Holy Cow. I was kinda worried because the lights weren't going off, and the little arm thing was up...not that it was close to hitting us, but it wasn't too far off. 


Anyway, we drive and drive and we get to a gravel road (which i HATE) and it was a windy (said Wine-dy) one let me tell you. So we FINALLY reach the Y camp and see people that are girls! yay! we take all our stuff in again, only to be told we should go put it in the cabin. So we did. 


Anyway, despite our adventures getting there, it was awesome. 


The theme was 'You're true identity' and we had an amazing speaker who in no time had captured my heart. She spoke of her own life and how each journey had given her a new perspective of her true identity. She had a disorder in her vocal chords that enabled her from talking fluently, but after about ten minutes of it, I didn't care anymore. I was just listening to a sweet old lady tell about her life. 


Anyway, we spent the night listening to her, but then when she was done, we had food and mod-poge to conquer. We made some Shaweet notebooks and talked until we were too tired to do anything else. We went to our cabin and I talked to Sarah about life as we fell asleep next to each other.


In the morning, we had an AMAZING breakfast and some time alone with God before our first speaker, which for me, turned into a talk with Sandy, but it was good. We talked about Biblical things and struggles in our lives. We began the day with some praise singing. Now this is one thing that kinda took me by surprise.


I haven't really ever sang with just girls before. It's kinda strange to have no male lower voices present in the mixup. But, it was beautiful. A chorus of girls singing to God the song Satisfied by Idk who. 


Heres the chorus:
Hallelujah! He has found me; 
the one my soul so long has craved.
Jesus satisfies all my longings;
through His blood I now am saved.


It was super good and super awesome to worship beside only girls where there were no boys to be distracting. 


Anyway, during the day we ended up sewing pillow cases, getting a Mary-Kay makeover, eating an amazing lunch, and going to the MRS degree talk.


It was spectacular. I learned a lot. 


The MRS degree speaker really put some good overlooked principles on the table for me to think about. Sometimes, it stinks being a girl. And I know I have a lot to work on with patience and my interactions. 


But I know that God is all I need. His love is all I need. And I never need to doubt it.