Another Semester Underway

All the ham and pumpkin pie has been eaten, Christmas presents opened and played with, and the snow on the ground too dirty to play in anymore...all sad signs of rest and relaxation fading away and a new school semester looming on the horizon of this college students' life. But, when Heartland Baptist Bible College is a school that I have come to love, a new semester seems more like a 'dawning upon a horizon' rather than a 'looming'. I am so thankful to be back at HBBC and to have a new semester underway. Don't get me wrong; I ABSOLUTELY love enjoying the comforts of home (parents, GREAT food, sleep, space, yada yada yada), but I miss the go go go of homework, activities, and outings with friends as crazy as that may sound.

 To start off the semester, HBBC hosted its annual Church Planters Conference where approximately 117 church planters from all over the US, including Alaska!, presented or supplied each others financial and material needs. Over $330,000 was raised for needs and the spirit of giving spilled over from various church planters to several college students who, without much hesitation, also stood giving what they could afford. Spirit-filled preaching, singing, and specials were scattered througout the 3hr service...which didn't seem very long except for when I was caring for rambunctious 2yr olds in the nursery :D.Overall, the conference was a success and a blast.

Every new semester the school gives students an opportunity to have fun before the madness of school sets in. A trip to the Science Museum, Frontier City (rollercoasters, carnival games, etc.) or bowling. Well, this year they took us to the Omniplex Theater, a section of the science museum that plays movies and documentary films... you would never guess what they were showing the day we went! Drum roll please........Tornado Alley! When I first heard this I thought, "you're kidding right? I am scared of tornados!" and as an assistant RA I am strongly encouraged to go in order to encourage others to go too. So, with a box of popcorn in my hand and friends sitting nearby to watch for entertaining signs of an "Amber-freakout episode" I settled into my seat infront of a 70ft screen and prepared myself...is it sad that I jumped as soon as the sound came on? :D Because the screen was sooo big, you actually felt at times that you really were in the tornado that they were filming. Although I had to tell myself a few times that it was just a movie and not real, it was very educational...but not something I would go out of my way to watch again.

The annual photo scavenger hunt is also a highlight amongst the students, and since I didn't have to work that day I grabbed my camera and took off to find a group to go with. Each group was given a list of places, and take pictures of things, and a few we had to being doing something in the picture, and we only had 2 hours to get it all done! Me and my group had a blast as we drove all over OKC trying to find the things on the list. Below are some of the pictures:

Hunter Shearin, Nathan Rogers, Madison Klauke, Katie Trowbridge, and Me. Burger King (top, right), Duck Duck Goose in Walmart with stuffed animals (top, middle), this architectural thing in the Myriad Gardens (top), a trucker at a gas station (top, right), rocking chairs infront of Cracker Barrel (bottom, left), exactly 3cents of gas at a gas station (bottom, middle), and snow angels (bottom, right).

This semester's classes are excellent, and I'm doing more practical application with everything that I've been learning the past 2 years. This semester I am priviledged to be taking Children's Ministries (how to evangelize children and build a successful children's ministry), Audio/Visual Methods (using various aids whether visual or audio to teach), Missionary Methods (about church planting in foreign cultures), Ladies Biblical Counseling, Women's Mission Practicum (first aid and practical living in a foreign culture), Profiles of Faith (learning how to live by faith through studying Heb. 11), and Choir. It's going to be a great semester!

Praying for you all and trust that ya'll are praying for me too. Hopefully see ya'll in march!
In Christ's Love,
Amber