mardi 1 janvier 2008
Happy 2008!
I can hardly believe that another year has passed by and that I'm already embarking on a new one! Although I've been quite occupied during the past year, it has been simply wonderful. I'm quickly learning that a full life is very much a rich life (as viewed retrospectively, of course). In looking back at some of the experiences that I had in 2007 - much of which has not been chronicled on this blog unfortunately - it's been really neat to see what God has brought me through.
The beginning of my winter semester was spent preparing for my return to Montreal during reading break for the third time, which was such a blessing. I was able to reconnect with my friends and to make some plans for my summer internship. However, I also spent the majority of the winter semester nursing a horrible cold/flu/something that I caught while in la belle province, which did not leave me until classes were finished in April. While that wouldn't be too much on its own, I was also taking the heaviest courseload ever, so it was definitely a time of reliance on God. Let's just say that the end of the semester couldn't come soon enough :)
Then I went straight into a spring course, which had its own equally demanding requirements. I ended up having to take all of my research and work across the country while I was doing my internship. Thankfully, I was able to finish everything on time for that class so that I could spend a more intense time in language and cultural study in Quebec. Summer went by really quickly, but I suppose being away from home can do that! I was able to relax a little bit at the end of the summer by going to New York with my best friend and then coming back for my last year of school. It certainly felt like I was going non-stop from schoolwork to more schoolwork, so the week in NYC was a nice reprieve.
This last semester, I ended up with a lot of work but I know that I was able to invest a greater amount of time and energy into each individual project, making each class more worthwhile. However, I had to postpone a class in order to do this, and may very well end up paying for it this year (and not just in terms of monetary value)! Oh well. I have about six courses left to finish up before I graduate, and I am praying that by the grace and strength of God that He will enable me to do what I need to do before April comes. I'm glad that the fall semester was not as intense as it allowed me to get involved with a great Bible study; honestly, the relationships that have emerged from this group have helped sustain me as I've been moving into my thesis year/semester.
So right now, I'm wondering what's next for this new year. I have no clue what will be happening after April other than that my best friend is getting married in July; at this point, that's the only thing that is certain after graduation :) Until April, I plan to be:
- working on my thesis (even more pages this time, ahh!)
- taking a class on pastoral ministry
- taking a class on church missions
- completing a distance ed course (sigh, not again!)
- auditing a theology course from my undergrad (I guess 2 1/2 months is enough)
- continuing my involvement with the weekly Bible studies
- savouring each moment I'm at church
- helping with wedding activities/duties/etc.
- planning a wedding shower
- balancing thesis reading with fun reading, if at all possible
- singing with some lovely seniors at a residence
- somehow getting back into regular devotionals (ugh, I'm sad that this won't happen until after I'm done school)
- spending more time with the other seminarians before we all part ways
- figuring out summer plans, namely travel plans!
- arranging to take French classes, somewhere and sometime
- meeting with former missions professors as often as I can
- dreaming about certain missions plans that my friends and I are concocting
- and praying lots more as I don't know how I can do any - especially not all - of these things without God in the midst of everything :)
"In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." - Philippians 1:6
