EUREKA, I've found it!!!!

This past weekend, on Martin Luther King day, I went up to northern Indiana near Warsaw to a little town called Winona Lake to visit Grace College. Although I'd maintained my composure in the fact that I hadn't exactly chosen where I wanted to go, or felt that feeling right away that I'd been waiting for, where you just know that this particular college is right for you, I was getting pretty antsy that I only had one more college that I had yet to visit and I still hadn't been WOWED yet.. So, we drove up to Grace, and I hadn't really thought much about it. I had it in my head that I'd just have to find the cheapest, best option out of the colleges that I'd visited and been pretty okay with. And like, they all had their pros and cons, and it seemed like each college was where I was going right after I'd taken all that time and effort to find them, visit them, and consider them. But, ohh was I wrong. Because seriously, no college has felt as right as Grace College! I went up on what they called "Lancer Day", and it was their official college-visit day. I got their & was pretty much immediately handed a free T-shirt! Haha, that started it off right! Then my mom and I got a free meal pass, so we went to their dining hall to grab some lunch. They only have one dining hall, but it's buffet style! They've got all different types of food too! And I was surrounded by friendly faces and people saying "hi" to me. True Hoosier culture stuff, unlike all the out of state colleges I'd been to. Then, we went to this question and answer session hosted by a variety of college faculty and students. It felt very sincere. And I remember, this one guy talked about how college needs to fit like a good jacket. And at the time I laughed, but then, I sort of zoned out during the Q&A and started thinking about how comfortable I felt, and joking in my mind that this jacket(this college) fit pretty well!

Then, we went on a campus tour, and I was diggin' it more and more! The campus was so quaint! And it just really seemed to fit with my personality, very small-town, social, scenic. My tour guide was super awesome, and she introduced me to another tour guide who was majoring in Spanish Education! Just like how I want to! She talked to me about the impressive study abroad program, the awesome professor, and just the school overall. It was super informative, and it only made me love it more! And then after that, there was a meet & greet with the professors! I got to meet the head of the Spanish department, and he was AWESOME! He was this funny bald guy (exactly like my high school Spanish teacher that I love so much!!). And I was like, okay, that's it. This place is it! It has someone who I finally think will help me pursue my passion in Spanish language/missions as much as the people in my life right now do!! I was in love with Grace College.

And then, when my mom and I were walking out to our car to head back home I said, "You know mom, it's funny, the college that found me is where I'll end up going instead of all those places that I looked so hard to find." And she was like, "What do you mean?" And I replied "Well, I tried to find a Christian college in our price range, so I got on college board online and looked and looked and looked! And then, I got a list together of the colleges that offered what I wanted to study, were cheap, and seemed to be sincere in putting God first. But the annoying college that I got a million emails from saying "application fee waived! please apply now! Grace College is interested in you!" that I actually gave in to and applied to is the one that I finally feel sure about." And she just smiled and said something like, "Isn't that always the way God works?" And I just rolled my eyes. Then my logical side spoke, "But it's also the most expensive. It'll be impossible to pay for this!" And my wise, wise mama said, "If God wants you here, He'll get you here. Haven't you figured that out by now?"

Sure enough, when I went home, I felt called to read Deuteronomy 8.

He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.

Deuteronomy 8:17-18

And to that I say, AMEN! God, take me where You want me, so that I'll never doubt who controls my life or the universe. And I'll have it burned into my heart that I can't live without You, because You take me to the highest I can go. And if it were just me, I'd be no where, because only You, God, have the power to give me success, or a good life, or the right college, or my purpose.

Just a little while longer, will I be here at home, I can taste the next step, I feel like God is preparing my heart for the next step! But, I still feel very grounded here. Like God has a lot for me to do here before He takes me somewhere else next. But that's another blog entry entirely! (;

Love you all!