perfect atmosphere

Complete with Christmas music :)

Let the studying begin! 

...actually, yah. I should probably start studying. :)

In Christ

~Michelle

quietly going insane

 "I am quietly going insane in the confines of my room" -my roommate
I think I am too.

The symptoms are as follows:
inability to sit still
inability to concentrate
finding the dumbest things hilarious
absolute lack of motivation
distracted by the slightest thing
sudden desire to learn how to moon walk :)
sudden spurts of hyperactivity 
inability to learn anything

This is why I work hard all semester long. So when I take finals, I can flunk them and still get a good grade. 

Seriously. It's time for Christmas break. 

In Christ
~Michelle

a day which will live in infamy

Actually, nothing exciting has really happened today or for the past few weeks.
But, here's to remembering December 7, 1941.

I guess a few random things have been going on.
After Haiti, I went back to school and probably had one of the craziest two weeks of the semester. With normal yg activities, a huge group paper and group presentation, a taffy pull, church Christmas caroling, online tests and papers, two Russian tests (yes, I'm taking Russian this semester), a Russian presentation, and   yet another interview today. 
Thankfully, I only have two presentation and three finals until Christmas break. :) Things don't "wind down" in college, they just wind up. 

So, last Thursday night we had a taffy pull here at the Upper Room. I had to call Jenny twice and my Grandma once to get the taffy recipe down. You have to be really precise or else the whole batch will be ruined. The taffy was ok this time. It pulled really well for the first few pulls and then it got really hard. 
Oh, well. It always makes for a few laughs.

making taffy

the scary part where it starts to splatter your hand with boiling taffy

the finished product

attempting to pull

It didn't turn out the best 

 One night late, like at midnight, Sarah and I decided to decorate our apartment. 

I now have Christmas lights above my bunk :)

(ooo, and check out the cool Haiti painting!)

the Christmas tree!

I had my third interview today. I really hope I get it. It's a really cool Christian organization with a ton of stuff to do. Now, begins the waiting game...again. I really would appreciate prayers because, If I don't get an internship by Christmas time, I'm going to have to wait until next fall. Which would be awful.

Oh, funny story.
So, there's this guy that walks around campus without shoes on. And, it cracks me up. anytime I see him I try to sneak a picture of him on my phone. :)  It's really hard to be sneaking with a phone though. Anyway, so he was walking in front of me yesterday and he walks really fast. I had to walk pretty fast to keep up and after I had made a feeble attempt at getting a picture, he suddenly took off running. Running! barefoot across very wet, very cold pavement. I think he's on to me.

So, that's about it. 

In Christ
~Michelle

There and back again...

Well. I've been to Haiti and back. :)

It was such a wonderful, uplifting, amazing trip. I absolutely loved every minute and every experience of it.

I flew from Indianapolis to Miami, spent the night and then flew from Miami to Port Au Prince. Jessica W, Becky P. and her son, Rich, daughter-in-law, Amber, and their children (who live in Haiti) flew with me.

We spent the night in Miami both ways. Jessica and I are both poor college students, so we got a really cheap hotel. It was kind of gross and in a very interesting area of Miami. Let's just say one of the stores nearby had a sign that said "bail bonds here." :)

We got to Port Au Prince on Saturday and drove across the mountains to Bonne Fin.  They drive pretty crazy   but it wasn't too bad. The Haitian landscape is absolutely beautiful. It's just astounding how such utter poverty can be right next to such beauty. 

Sunday, we went to church in Tet Simone, ate lunch twice, and spent the evening on the beach. Port Salut is absolutely beautiful.
Monday through Wednesday we did random work around the hospital, went to the market, and took a couple of hikes. Jessica, Janelle, and I were together most of the time. We helped set up the Cholera ward, sort surgical instruments, clean out a shed, and do odds and ends for Sheila. 
Mona, the guest house cook and cleaning lady, cooked us breakfast, lunch, and supper almost every day. Mornings stated with breakfast at 7:00 and devotions at the hospital at 7:30.  

 Thursday, our last day, was Thanksgiving in Cayes. Once we got to Cayes, we took a very wet four-wheeler ride around the compound. We visited Haitian Linens and a little shop.  Thanksgiving meal was awesome, missionaries from all over the area came together.  After we ate people got up and said what they were thankful for. It was really cool to hear what other missionaries were doing. And the food was awesome. :)

Our hotel in Miami

view from the airplane 

ready for surgery 

me, Jessica, Janelle

tarantula...I couldn't get much closer

hike to the hydro-plant 

mountains beyond mountains...

Port Salut

all of the missionaries at Thanksgiving

Me, Becky, and Jessica back in Miami

I'm so thankful that I was able to go. It's amazing all that is being done in Haiti and it was so uplifting to see how the church is growing. 

In Christ
~Michelle

Bless the Lord, O my soul

I won't be in the States for Thanksgiving, so I thought I would post this now.

I have so much to be thankful for. 
I'm thankful for my faith, my family, my country, food in abundance, the ability to go to school, the opportunity to travel... And, the list could go on and on.
God has blessed me beyond what I ever could have imagined. 

Psalm 103

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

6 The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.

10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

19 The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

20 Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

21 Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

22 Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.

Happy Thanksgiving! :)

In Christ 
~Michelle

when this week is over

This week has been wild and it's only Wednesday.

Monday, after completely forgetting to go to young group coffee in the morning, I spent the day shopping and planning food for Tuesday's event.

Tuesday, was the culmination of my huge group Service Learning project. We hosted a Foster Care Forum at a local foster care agency. I was in charge of food. My AC background of awesome food came out. I made popcorn, puppy chow, cookies, and chips and salsa.  
I have so much food left over.
The forum actually went pretty well. I'm so glad to have that over with. 

Today, I have been working feverishly to get all of my homework done and I baked pies for the Thanksgiving Feast.  I'm almost done with my homework for the week and weekend. It's amazing how much I can get done when I need to. 

It's also crazy hard to bake in such a small kitchen. 

I made such a terrible mess.  

I have  my interview tomorrow. Eek. I'm getting nervous. 
And, I leave for Haiti on Friday. :)


Whew. When this week is over. I'm going to need a vacation.  ;)

In Christ
~Michelle

Fall

Time to play the catch-up game again. 

Last week was the U of I Fall Party. It was a lot of fun. We host all the Sunday school kids at Wayne and Char's for a pizza party and fall-themed games.

a wild and crazy balloon game

Pin the leaf on the tree

pumpkin pinata

My roommate pranked me the other night. This was waiting for me when I opened the closet door. 

creepy. 

I may have been very nervous every time I went into my closet for the rest of the week. 

Ellie had her baby! 

Cyrus Mathew Steffen :)

Congrats Troy and Ellie!!!

I have another interview. It's with a mental health agency.  Which would be really interesting.

School is going by very quickly. But, things around campus are never dull.

There is a squirrel with no tail in Urbana. Someday I will get a picture, but until then I will just look like an idiot chasing a squirrel with a camera. 

Yesterday, in class, my professor  suddenly stopped his lecture on optics to rant about how guys should dress. He went on for about ten minutes explaining how they should cut their hair, that their shoes, belts, and socks should match, and that they need to learn how to tie a Windsor knot. An entire lecture hall was rolling with laughter. :)

Thursday night was music night down at U of I. Once again it was quite humorous. It's a night when everyone brings any instrument they can play, and we try to play and sing. :)

And, this is what my room looks like when I'm home for a whirlwind weekend of packing for Haiti, and helping with the YG invite. 

Yup. That's right. I leave for Haiti on Friday!

In Christ

~Michelle