an anonymous gift

I received an anonymous letter and some money to buy Christmas presents for my parents, family, and friends this past week.  I am so grateful to whoever sent it! God has again reminded me that He is watching out for me and that I should be thankful for what I have been given. I am thankful for all you all! Happy Thanksgiving!

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Thanksgiving Feast! (and a walk through the botanical gardens)

Monday night I had about 35 girls over for a Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner. We had a all sorts of food: greenbean casserole, sweet potato souffle, chicken and dressing casserole, baked corn, hash brown casserole, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, chicken salad, rotisserie chicken, bread, fruit, humus and veggies, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, cupcakes, ice cream, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and I am sure I forgot something! It was a great time of hanging out with not just freshman but some upperclassmen girls as well, and it was a great place for some of the girls to meet each other for the first time.

Jesus spent much of his time here on earth breaking bread with his disciples as well as with strangers. There is something unique and intimate  about sharing a meal with others. Our common need for food points us to our common need for the cross.

                                              

In addition to eating lots of amazing food I also walk. A lot. It’s the cheapest (and prettiest) way to hang out. One student and I have been going to the botanical gardens in Clemson, which fortunately are about 2 minutes off campus! As you will see in the pictures, the place is gorgeous. It’s a great place for conversations. The student who I’ve been walking with there and I have had two good discussions about the Christian faith. This girl is struggling with whether or not she wants to pursue any religious belief right now, let alone Christianity, so please pray for her and our conversations in the gardens.

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Routine Events and Random Events

Every week there are certain events that happen on a regular basis in the Clemson RUF world. Two of these weekly events are “Girls’ Lunch” and “Freshman Girls’ Dinner.” Girls’ Lunch happens every Wednesday at noon. Stephen joins the lunch, made up mainly of upperclassmen girls and myself, and answers any questions we have about the Bible, his sermon from RUF the night before, how our lives relate to the Gospel, and, well, just about any other question anyone has about Christianity, spirituality, God, etc. This is a great opportunity for students to get some direct answers. I am thankful that we can provide a non-threatening environment for girls to explore the claims of the Bible regardless of where they stand spiritually. Some of the topics we have covered are , “What is Heaven like?,” “How do you deal with suffering?,” and “What is Hell like?”.

Girls' Lunch in Hendrix (the student center)

Freshman Girls’ Dinner happens every Tuesday night before Large Group. This is entirely initiated by a group of Sophomore girls, which is exciting because teaching students to serve students is a huge part of what RUF desires for its students, and it is a also a huge part of what it means to follow Christ.

Freshman Girls' DInner before Large Group

 

 

Besides these and other weekly activities I try to plan spontaneous events too. For instance, this morning I took a group of students to a place in the mountains called Pretty Place to see the sunrise. As the (very unoriginal) name implies this spot overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina was beautiful!  Pretty Place is actually the outdoor chapel of a YMCA camp in North Carolina. At 4:45 this morning I woke up and drove to campus to pick up some freshman. We met up with some older girls and left Clemson at 5:30, heading north towards the mountains. I had never been to Pretty Place before, and I was leading the group, so I was a little worried that we weren’t going to find it, be we did, and we arrived right as the sun was coming up! We didn’t actually get to see the sunrise, though, it was too cloudy, but the view was worth the trip. The trees along the drive were at the peak of their fall colors, and we could catch glimpses of other mountains in the distance as we winded up the mountain that “Pretty Place” was on. It was perfect. The weather was cold, but not bitterly, just enough to slightly take the breath out of us as we sat in silence overlooking the view. I’ve woken up to see the sunrise several times in my life, and each time I’ve second guessed myself when my alarm goes off in the wee hours of the morning, but it’s always been worth it. Every time.

view from Pretty Place

my group of troopers

the freshmen and me!

the chapel at Pretty Place

 

 

Also, another event out of the ordinary was the day trip to Highlands, NC that I took yesterday morning! I went by myself, and it was awesome. The drive was beautiful, and I really loved being able to tune out for a couple of hours, viewing all the sights and listening to some music I just bought. I went to Buck’s coffee in Highlands, where the barista thought she knew me, and I assured her she didn’t. Then I left and drove two hours back to Clemson. It was fast and good.

view on the way to Highlands, NC

 

(I am really thankful that Clemson is so close to tons of great day-trip locations! Lakes, rivers, mountains abound! And I’ll never get enough of the mountains.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Pictures….(finally)

lunch break in Tuscaloosa after working on Mrs. Anne's roof

RUF progressive dinner!

About 30 students, divided into several groups, rotated through multiple apartments at the same complex for rounds of appetizers and a main course, and then we all went to the Speaks house for dessert.

some freshmen and I dressed like crayons for Halloween!

 

Halloween Party at my apartment

A senior girl and I planned a Halloween party at my apartment. We had snacks and watched “Signs,” (which is not as scary as I remembered and very anti-climatic.) We still had a good time though!

view from my apartment

There are mountains in the distance surrounding Clemson. It is a beautiful area of the country. There is a place that I run to often- it is a field of horses and yellow flowers, where I can see the mountains in the distance.

sunrise from my apartment porch

The trees in Clemson (and I’m sure elsewhere) are stunning right now. The city looks like its exploding in fire.

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