First Aid and CPR training:)

My name is Anna and I am First Aid certified, I was wondering if I could help you out? You look like you're having a bit of trouble.

HAHAHAHA

I can just imagine the fear in some poor innocent soul's eyes as they look up to see ME helping them. To sum this point up, today I was practicing splinting on Sam. She was being particularly annoying, whining about her fake broken leg and such. I got the brilliant idea to tie her up like a hostage. I tied her legs together, arms together, then tied her arms to her legs and completed the get-up tying a cloth around her head into her mouth (i think professional hit-men call this a gag?) It would be a BIG lie to say that it wasn't the highlight of my week, but through this experience I realized that I am NOT cut out to be a nurse. Blood makes me gag, I can't stand whining, etc. It's not that I wouldn't enjoy helping people, but I'm thinking more along the lines of accounting now. I can HELP people do their taxes :) haha (KIDDING, I'm too OCD and bored way too easily to do that, but yeah...) a new career plan is in progress. 

For the next item on my list, I need help naming my guitar. It will officially be mine around June, and I need a really cool name for it. So far I have had Cabbot, Skye and Hudson proposed. Comment with any *good* ideas :) 

Just finished the last training session for my First Aid and CPR certification course. The "knowledge assessment" and skills evaluation are on Monday so we'll see how that goes. 

Today I am thankful:

*that I will not be giving up 6 hours of my day to listen to theoretical medical emergency situations anymore

*that because of all that training I could save someone's life now

*and for God's patience and His providing me with patience

I walked up to the dorm at 9pm after First Aid with the beautiful night all around me. Every star in the universe was visible and I had time to just think and pray. Absolutely refreshing. No sooner than I walked through the door did I realize that tonight was the night... The deans were handing out the attendance/room check free labor assignments. Now I knew that I had been late to a couple of dorm worships and such, but we are allowed 3. I figured surely I'd be okay but at the worst an hour or so. However, apparently the deans have counted every time I have left my candle warmer on against me. If I left my straightener plugged in to the wall, that counted too. The cupboards above our light fixtures are supposed to be left opened as well, so that came back to bite me, too. All in all, I get to waste 6 hours of my life... That's right folks, 360 minutes that I will never get back, doing free labor. 

God has taught me valuable lessons from this though. I have learned the importance of patience, the value of respecting your elders and holding your tongue out of respect even when you REALLY want to give them a piece of your mind, and how everything you do, whether you realize it or not, affects you later on. Even though in the REAL world, you don't get an hour of slave free labor (haha!) for coming to dorm worship at 6:40:30 (that's right folks, I was 30 seconds late to worship one time and it STILL counted).

For all of you who are undergoing this "character refinement" thing with me, be encouraged. "Trials and obstacles are the Lord's chosen methods of discipline and His appointed conditions of success." - Help in Daily Living pg. 9

Don't forget to floss, and Flintstone (like Fred, Pebbles, Bam-Bam - cartoons) vitamins have excitotoxins in them so DON'T take your vitamins!! 

The joy of Mondays... :)

     Lately I have been thinking of all the things that have happened since I first came to Fountainview. It's really quite amazing to see how God has led in the past year and a few months. I have made great friends, traveled to many new places (my favorite being Hawaii, of course ;D) learned a lot about myself and more specifically myself in relation to God.
    I was raised in a Christian home, Baptist until I was 12 or so, and then converting to Seventh-Day Adventist Christians. My parents are both quite young, but they have always done their best to make my sisters and me successful. A big part of their best included making sure we had chores and yard work to do, and the occasional "attitude adjustment" when we did things that we weren't supposed to or didn't do the things we were supposed to.
    Even growing up in a Christian home though, I never had a relationship with God until I came to Fountainview. I'd never even heard of such an idea. My lack of a relationship with God had nothing to do with my parents, so it wasn't necessarily coming away from home that changed things. I guess coming to Fountainview, I saw a lot of other kids my age that really did love Jesus.
     This whole idea of Jesus being our "Friend" is still kind of a foreign concept for me, but its a cool thought. I mean, Jesus was a friend to His disciples, right? Why is that? What did He do with Him that He can't do with us? He walked with them, talked with them, laughed with them and helped them through the hard times. He can do all of that with us too!
     A big part of our friendship with Him that is different than the disciples is that we can't physically see Jesus. That makes it harder, doesn't it? I heard a David Asscherick sermon last night that made a lot of sense though. The illustration that he used was really cool. Your sitting at a restaurant with your friend and you are going on and on about how great the pasta is, and your friend turns to you and says, "Dude, there is no pasta." The pasta is either there or it isn't. God is either there... Or He isn't. This fact doesn't change from person to person based on if they believe in Him. How do we know He is though?
    I can know that God is there because of 3 things: the way He brought me to Fountainview, the way He's answered my prayers, and through things He's convicted me on.
    I came to Fountainview half way through my first semester of 11th grade year. I was talking to my friend Morgan about my public school and telling her about funny differences between my new school and the Christian school I had been attending before. "Yeah, guess what I saw for the first time ever the other day! WEED! REAL WEED! HAHAHA!" so on and so forth. Needless to say, she got a bit worried about me and decided to try and get me out of MCHS. She got with my other friend Randy and they started praying that if God wanted me at Fountainview he'd work it all out. They went to talk to the VP of student life and she said that the 3 girls that had the 3 available spots in the dorm had pulled out just that morning! Morgan and Randy knew that finances would be another big thing, so they got with the VP again and within 24 hours they had a sponsor for me willing to pay the whole school year's tuition. They called me at about 11pm eastern time and told me that I was free to get on a plane any day now, and explained that with all of these crazy miracles that it must be God's will for me to come to Fountainview. I saw how much Morgan changed during her time at Fountainview, and I decided that I really wanted that change for myself. She stopped gossiping, started talking about spiritual things, started being nicer. With that said, three weeks later I was on a plane to Seattle on my way to Fountainview Academy in British Columbia, Canada.
     Another way that I know God is there is because He answers my prayers. One big way He has answered my prayers was during a particular "low" in my spiritual life. Right before Christmas break last year I decided that there were certain things I would do (have my devotions everyday, be nice to my sisters, etc.) and not do (watch TV, listen to bad music, etc.) while I was at home. I failed miserably at all of these resolutions and I was very discouraged when I came back to school, not to mention pretty overwhelmed with guilt. I didn't have my devotions when I came back to school, because I felt like God wouldn't wanna talk to me anyway. Finally after a week or so of being miserably guilty, I decided to talk to God about everything. How I was sorry and if He could give me another chance and take away my guilt, then I would depend on Him more this time because I desperately wanted to love Him again. Supper was in 20 or so minutes so I got off my knees and rushed to get ready. That night we had a vespers service, which is basically a worship talk to open the Sabbath. One of our deans, Jordan, was speaking and, lo and behold, his topic was choices, guilt and the love of God that helps us overcome. I talked to him afterwards about how that worship talk was directly from God to me and I really appreciated it. He said that originally he was going to talk about Daniel and the Lions Den or something random like that, but right before supper God changed his plans! Pretty cool, right? What a God we serve.
     Conviction is another way that God proves His existence to me. Before I came to Fountainview, certain words, music, television shows, jokes, etc. were perfectly okay for me. When I came here and started praying and reading my Bible, I started realizing that maybe I shouldn't listen to the same music, watch the same shows, etc. Now the Bible doesn't say "Thou shalt not watch Two and a Half Men". I became convicted over this through the Holy Spirit. That's what the Holy Spirit does when we read the Bible. It applies what we read to our lives, and then convicts us on it. Without the Holy Spirit, I wouldn't probably ever apply "Whatsoever things are pure," To a television show. Why would I? I liked that show and it was hard for me at first to give it up. Something outside of myself had to be telling me that it wasn't the best for my Christian walk in order for me to ever even want to give it up.
     So there it is. God's either there or He isn't. And based on my experiences, history, and many other people's experiences, He's there. Sometimes the problem isn't that He "isn't there" for you. Its that with God, you have to SEEK Him to find Him. The Bible doesn't say "You will criticize me and tell yourself that I don't exist so that you can live the way you want, and magically I will pop out from behind a tree on your walk in the park and BAM! You'll know I exist".
    It says, "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all of your heart." - Jeremiah 29:13 (NASB)

Just my thought for the day :) Don't forget to pray for Zach Myers please! Thank you!
"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." - 1 John 3:18

Sabbath :)

     A lot of my childhood memories were made at the little Southern Baptist church that my family attended every Sunday - except my dad. My aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, great aunts, etc. all attended this church with us. My mom would take my two sisters and me 45 minutes from our home in Chattanooga to Dalton so that we could have this time with my mom's side of the family. 
     The kids had a separate church service that was more "kid-friendly" and that was my favorite part of church every week. My aunt usually led out in the childrens' church. We would sing songs, have a snack and watch VeggieTales. Our church would also hold huge yard sales, easter egg hunts, fall picnics, and many other fun events throughout the year. Our whole congregation was a really close-knit family.
     One of the things I remember besides easter egg hunts and VeggieTales is a plaque that hung beside the sink in the restroom. Every Sunday I would see it and wonder what it was supposed to mean. Was this a historical piece of art or something? I knew what the words meant because we saw them in a VeggieTales about Moses. They all pretty much made sense, except the 4th one. 
    This plaque had the Ten Commandments on it, and the 4th commandment was talking about the Sabbath. Exodus 20 said to "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 6 days shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but the 7th day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God..." What in the world was this talking about? Obviously my church believed in it because it was hung on the wall! But I had never heard of this "Sabbath" thing. Sounded a little strange, but I let it go. My family and church leaders must know something I don't.
    I mentioned that my dad didn't go to church with us. All I knew was that he didn't really agree with everything our church believed, and going to church without him was normal. Little did I know that my questions about Sabbath would be resolved in just a few short years. My mom found a book called Defending God which basically laid out all of the generic Christian beliefs that are not supported by the Bible, and proved them wrong with the Bible. She thought that this was very weird and sort of amusing so she took it home to my dad. This book answered a lot of my dad's questions and supported the arguments that he had against our church, and we began looking for the group/church/organization that put out this book, and started going to a new church that was based on the Bible. Even though it was really hard for us to leave the church that we grew up in, and in doing so hurt our relationships with our family, my question about Sabbath was answered.
     So what does that have to do with now? Now I have to privilege of spending Sabbath with God every week, and that day of rest means so much more because I know what it was like without it. Yesterday was the most enjoyable Sabbath I have had in a while. We had a powerful sermon about "The Power of Choice" by a very jet-lagged Mr. Lemon. That man is absolutely profound I tell ya! "We are free to make choices, but we are not free to choose the outcome of our choice." BAM! Got right to the point right? Love it... 
     The Cleveland family had me over to their house for lunch. We ate a delicious vegan meal of lasagna, caesar salad, spanakopita, garlic bread and soy ice cream for dessert! YUM! Then I hung out with Ethan and James all afternoon (the Cleveland's sons), went on a walk with their family, came back and had a great Sabbath-closing worship talk on Daniel, and then attempted to play Dutch Blitz, getting creamed by the Cleveland's 6 year old daughter Lynnelle every time. We had a blast and I ended up eating supper with them before heading to Fountainview's game night. 
     All in all, I am really thankful for Sabbath. Now a new week is starting and I only have 167 days until grad! :) 


"¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? ¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." - 1 John 3:16-18

A New Year... What will we do with it?

     During the next year, I will graduate, get my full license, start college, get a job and a car, and lots more. 2012 is a pretty big year.
     Many people make crazy new year's resolutions and insane goals for their new year. What about you? This year I would really like to stop biting my nails, obtain more patience, become a better runner and flutist, etc. My biggest resolution for this year, and particularly the next half of a year, is to become a stronger Christian. As my plans stand right now, I will be going to a public University once I leave my quiet, sheltered haven here at Fountainview. Even with all of its sometimes crazy rules and expectations, this school really is one of the most incredible places on Earth. I am surrounded with great influences and a variety of cultures from all over the world, 24/7.
     Going home for this past break was a real wake up call for me. I have to get serious about my faith and my relationship with God if I am going to be able to stay strong at the University of Kentucky. Don't get me wrong, I am totally stoked to go there. I am just a little nervous about going there. Part of me says to just avoid this problem and go to an Adventist college. I got accepted to Southern Adventist University, and a lot of my really good friends go there. Supposedly that would be "easier" on my faith. Honestly, I don't know about that. At an Adventist college, it would be easier to think, "Well if they're Adventist and they can do that, the n SURELY I am okay." Each school has it's own set of problems. My friends express their concern about me going to UofK because i will lose my relationship with God, start doing drugs, drinking, and having sex; because we all know that it is IMPOSSIBLE for a Christian to attend a public university and uphold Christ's high standard. *sarcasm*
      Just this morning I read in my devotions Matthew 26. This is the chapter talking about Jesus' betrayal all the way up to Peter's denial 3 times. This chapter was more relevant than ever to me. While getting warnings from my friends is a little less serious than actually getting a warning from Christ, it's quite similar. Christ warned Peter that Peter would betray him 3 times before the cock crowed - kind of like my friends are warning me that a public university will eradicate my relationship with God. Much like Peter, I am finding myself thinking, "NO! I will be fine, okay?! MY faith is strong enough. I CAN DO THIS. Just stop with all of this because I am going to prove you guys wrong." Peter thought the same things about Christ's warning.
     I don't remember where I read about it but it seems that maybe it was EGW that was saying that if Peter would have taken the time leading up to his "testing" to study, pray and depend on God, then he could have withstood the temptations before him. I am pretty sure that - at least to an extent - Christ WARNED Peter that this would happen so that he could be prepared.
     I have 6 more months at Fountainview until my "testing" begins. I praise the Lord for my devotions this morning because now I am really aware of what I need to be doing with it. I have to let go of my pride, pick up my Bible, get on my knees and brace myself for what's ahead.
     I would really like to go to Southern, too. I have a lot of friends down there that I would really like to get close to. When it comes down to it though, I feel like God is calling me to go to the University of Kentucky. My sisters aren't doing so well and I would really like to be at home with them. I have been away from home for most of high school. Once college is over, I will end up married and moved out of the house for good before i know it and I really need to focus on them. The way I see it, I shouldn't focus my efforts on the rest of the world until my own family has been revived.
    Also, if anyone out there is reading this, my friend Zach Myers is currently deployed with the US Army to not such a great place and I would REALLY appreciate it if you could pray for him. He doesn't have phone or internet, just snail mail once a month. Its kind of a stressful thing not to know what is going on with him, but all we can do is pray. Thanks!

"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." - 1 John 3:18