Take 2!

Finally, I have completed my first semester in college and I am currently in the second!
First semester was great. It was very challenging at times, but I got through it successfully! :)

My Christmas break was amazing. I didn't realize how much I missed my high school friends and my family. Yes, I know I am still home, but constantly being around my family was great. One cool thing I did over break was I auditioned for the Santa Clara Vanguard (colorguard) for you marching band people, you know that's a big deal hahaha! I got a call back and I'm really excited to see where the program takes me! Cross your fingers for my next round of auditions!!

Well, Christmas break is over and second semester is now in progress. I have a pretty heavy course load and a rigorous schedule! My days will most likely consist of: class; homework; work; homework; two hours of sleep; then repeat. It's okay though, I am fully prepared and really excited for this semester.

The great thing about second semester is that I no longer feel like a lost little freshman! I am familiar with the campus, I've already got a lot friends, and I know how everything works... nothing compares to the first day I started classes here at Loma! I am very proud to say that I have yet to walk into the wrong class!

3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

I am very aware that this semester will bring stress, but this verse will be a constant reminder that God is there and he will continue to love and comfort us in our troubles!

Sharon :)

Time Out

I love Time Out, it's definitely what I look forward to throughout my busy week.

Today was an official "time out" for me.

Where's my heart? Where's my mind?

I continue to dwell on how I busy I am and how much I procrastinate. I know I have countless obligations, but I continue to take on more responsibilities for everyone else's benefit. I do not know why I do that, I feel like I have to put myself in that position. I also focus too much on my relationships with specific people, which typically has the tendency to make me feel desolate.

I've been so adamant on pleasing everyone around me that I've lost sight of who I really should be striving to please.

To say, "Jesus you're all this heart is living for," would be a contradiction to where I am right now; however, I am striving to reach that point. I long and work to be in a place where my entirety is with God, from my heart to mind, body, and soul. Though I continue fail, fall, suffer, and question, my faith is undoubtedly irrevocable.

So here's my prayer.

Jesus Be All My Heart Is Living For.

I am currently in a confusing place in my journey, but I will continue to persevere. This video is awesome and it's a reminder to just give it all to Christ because even though you feel lost and empty, He is your guide and your light. That reminder is absolutely powerful.

<3 Sharon

QuEen B

Man, I didn't realize how ridiculously busy I was going to be before entering college. I feel like weeks are just flying by, we're already going into Thanksgiving break!!

The last few weeks I've been thinking about all of the changes that have been happening in my life. My fall job has ended, the semester is almost over, a lot of my high school friends are different, and I even got my nose pierced! There are just so many different things that are going on around me and it's crazy.

With all of the changes and busyness I really haven't had much time to just hang out. However, I did to get to experience one of the coolest things ever!

HOMECOMING

Although I wasn't able to engage in all of Saturday nights activities (including the game) due to work, which was still amazing, I did get to go to the variety show! It was absolutely hilarious and my RA, who is incredibly amazing won Homecoming Queen! Erin is awesome and I couldn't have been placed on a better hall. We made shirts and all showed up to support her.

Homecoming made me realize that I really need to slow down and engage in what God has blessed me with, a fantastic group of girls that I live with! Seriously, N3N is what encourages me daily, they're all such beautiful people and I love the time spent with them. I know that it may sounds bizarre that something like homecoming can bring me such a major recognition of how much I love the people on my hall... but it totally did!

<3>

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." - 2 Corinthians 1:3-9

God Always Provides

I've been going through these crazy phases here at Loma. As much as I know I love being here, I wasn't allowing myself to truly engage on this campus because I was afraid of not being here next semester due to financial issues. My excuses for transferring seemed legit and I was beginning to convince myself that transferring was the "right" thing to do and it was what I truly wanted.

I was absolutely lying to myself.

How could I ever want to leave this beautiful campus? This place that makes me feel so at peace with Christ... this place that has introduced me to some of the most amazing people I've ever met? This place is His work. It's authentic, beautiful, and more than I could have ever asked for.



Well, God has been listening. With the help of N3N, financial services, some of the most amazing professors, and an advisor that I'm absolutely blessed to have... I'm here and I'm cleared.

God has placed me here for a reason and His plans are still in the works of my life. I am still in absolute disbelief, but I am ridiculously stoked! God works in such mysterious ways and I'm learning to just fully trust that He will undoubtedly provide. I will continue to live here at Loma; I will seek Him, love Him, and make Him my center.

Everything.

So, school has been busy busy! Lately, I've been so wrapped up in school that I was losing site of why I wanted to be at Loma originally. The great thing about it is that this school is a CONSTANT reminder of Christ.

College is not easy, and all of the expectations I had have flown out of the window. I've never been so relieved to see a Friday. This week I had 3 essays, an exam, rigorous daily assignments, and a FINAL! All of the work made me overwhelmed and extremely frustrated with school and seeing the other girls on my hall full of the same anxiety didn't help the situation. N3N was in HW mode all week, which is soooo different for us. Of course, there was an occasional break-out dance party. Gotta love the Nease 3rd North Girls.

Well with the frustrations I was feeling, I was neglecting to pray and seek God daily. Time Out was a huge wake up call. (Megan Libby Rocks!) God's miracles are always around, even when you don't realize it. Don't pass up the chance to be someone else's miracle. Uhhh I can't even express the feeling I'm feeling right now. God is just so good and His works are so precious. I wrote a paper on Habakkuk and I am finally understanding how just trusting that God will lead you through everything is settling. I'm letting Him be my everything.




<3 Sharon.

P.s. - I have successfully completed a college course! I'm going to miss Old Testament!

Take My Life

So no one is a fan of poop... well at least the poop of other people right?

CAUTION: If you have a weak stomach, scroll past the story!

Here's the story:

In good ol' Nease 3rd North our toilets always seem to get clogged! A few days ago I had to use the restroom and I noticed there was no water in the toilet... so I decided to flush it in the hopes that water would fill up. To my dismay, the toilet began to growl at me! Rather than "clean" water filling the toilet... Brown chunks started to overflow from the hole (clearly I do not know any toilet terminology). I was so confused and disgusted... In attempt to solve the mess that was at this point flying towards me and leaking out under the stall... I grabbed the plunger and plunged EVERYONE ELSES backed up POOP! After screams, tears, and laughter the toilet finally stopped catapulting poo; however, the result of this disastrous toilet was a disgustingly foul smell and a bathroom that looked like it could be on the set of fear factor! Thankfully our bathroom is back to its original state.

I hope the N3N poo story made you laugh... because we get a kick out of the experience. If all else fails, I hope the story made you understand the importance of plunging your own poo so that no one else has to pay the consequences!!


Now, on a happier/clean note. Life at Loma is going amazing! I'm finally out of that awkward funk and God has truly been working in my life and his presence is so enduring. The lonliness is shattered and the peace is settling in. I'm seeing more and more of this beautiful campus and my head is no longer glued to the ground. I've been so blessed with the hall I was placed in and my Covenant Group is the epitome of a family in Christ. These girls are so beautiful and so awesome, God is continuously pushing us closer together. Dorm life is one of the BEST experiences I've ever been exposed to.


I'm finally starting to call this place HOME with a smile. This song was played a few weeks ago in chapel... it's been on my heart lately and it's definitley been my prayer. Just dwell on the beautiful words and give it all to God, nothing else matters.



<3 Sharon

p.s. Here's an awesome verse I heard in bible 101 :)

From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the foe. Psalms 61:2-3

His Presence.

I've always been thankful for the people who've come in and out of my life. I've realized how absolutely blessed I am to have such major impacts on my heart.

Lately, life here at Point Loma has felt a little lonely. It's really hard being around so many people and not knowing where I fit in, especially, coming from places where I knew exactly where I stood. It was nice knowing a handful of people before coming into Loma and rooming with one of my best friends, but its still been... different. Every time someone familiar walks past they ask me the same question, "How are you doing?" I continue to give the same answer... "good." I wonder what my answer would be to, "How are you doing, honestly?"

With all of these different feelings the one thing I needed was just silence and prayer. Even though it was past 10, I decided to leave Nease to find a quiet place to write and pray... I went and sat in front of a cross that over looks the ocean, with Nease still in sight. I stayed in that same spot until about 1 a.m. I wrote a lot and prayed even more, but mostly I just listened. After an hour or so I started to realize how comfortable I was sitting there. This place is so beautiful and enriched with His presence. I put my head down to pray and I heard a guitar playing in the distance. I continued to pray and the sound got closer, the melody reminded me of, "On This Beautiful Night" by Urban Rescue. The lyrics began to drown my thoughts... specifically,

"Now it seems I'm all alone

Sailing far away from home, out on the ocean

On a wave against the tide

You placed Your hand in mine so I could see."

And

"Looking up into the sky

The tears fall from my eyes, out on the ocean

Like a fire in the dark

You broke my world apart so I could see

On this beautiful night..."

I don't want to lie and say that everything is great now and that I'm fully developed to this new life. However, I'm starting to understand so much more about my faith. God is here, and He's holding my hands through all of this. You may wonder how I'm getting all of that through some random guy walking by playing his guitar... but that's not the point. It was the words that overflowed my mind and the weight that seemed to melt of my shoulders. The reminder of His grace and how He will continue to work and live in all of us. God gives strength to face this life and this campus definitely advocates that power... I Love it. I know I'm supposed to be here and I know that He will continue to challenge and mold me.

In the mean time, I will continue to let Him guide me and I will remember that I'm not the only one who feels this way. (Thanks Jess.) This campus is so beautiful and refined, it is truly amazing and every where I turn I am reminded of his works. Seriously, I wake up to this EVERY morning.

Yes, I have an ocean view as a freshman!

<3 Sharon.