Trains, planes, and automobiles...

Okay, here's the plan:

Carrie and I will be catching a ride with a friend to South Bend tomorrow (Wednesday) at noon, right after I'm finished writing my last exam. We'll be dropped off at the train station.


We'll be taking the train to Chicago. We're staying overnight at a hotel near O'Hare.


Thursday morning, the 18th, we're catching a plane first thing in the morning headed to Toronto and then fly from Toronto to Winnipeg, arriving in Winnipeg early afternoon.


A friend has offered to pick me up from the airport in Winnipeg and I'll be staying with another friend overnight in Winnipeg.


I'll be catching a bus headed to Yorkton on Friday morning and should arrive in there around supper time.


My parents or my brother will hopefully be picking me up in Yorkton for the last 2+ hours of the trip to Hudson Bay. Trains, planes and automobiles (the only thing I'm missing is a boat!)! I think I needed to write out this list more for my sake than yours.


Looking foward to being home for Christmas soon!

Breathing again...

I submitted my final paper of the semester yesterday so I took the opportunity to breathe today. My roommate and I took a trip out to Shipshewana to do some window shopping and pick up a few last minute Christmas gifts. On our way home we stopped to take some pictures for my Christmas cards. I thought I should post one on here so that you'd know that I'm not that much worse for the wear, given that my last post sounded pretty desperate.

I just have one exam left, the studying for which I'll be plunging in to tomorrow. This semester is almost done and I can't wait to go home for Christmas!

Tired beyond words...

Well it's the middle of the night and here I am once again at the computer. The last 2 nights I've stayed up 'til all hours of the morning working on my last few essays. I'm obviously not getting enough sleep given how shaky I felt in class today. Tonight I'm working on the last one which has to be done by Friday. The end is so close, and yet at this very moment feels so far away. While the world is asleep I'm up, forcing my brain to come up with something when all it wants to do is sleep. Must...keep...typing...... Have.......to..........finis.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Feeling England-y...

I think this is the third time that the ground has been covered with snow and I think, this is it, winter is here and then it disappears. Yesterday it was completely white outside with probably 4 inches of snow on the ground. This morning I woke up to fog and rain and most of the snow was gone! It was +5C today. As one of my colleagues described it, "It feels England-y here today."

Cookie Dough Truffles

I put together a batch of these cookie dough truffles and just had to share the recipe. They are so good!

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1-1/2 pounds semisweet chocolate candy coating, chopped

In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour, alternating with milk, beating well after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Shape into 1" balls and place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Loosely cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Dip balls in coating, allowing excess to drip off; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. If desired, remelt remaining candy coating and drizzle over candies. Store in the refrigerator.

Yummy!

From Taste of Home Best Holiday Recipes 2008.

The end is near (of the semester that is)...I hope...

I just finished reading my sister's life update on her blog and was inspired to give you a life update of my own. Life right now is crazy, hectic, insane, AAAAAHHHHH. I have 1 minor paper due on December 9, which I am breaking from writing right now, and 3 major papers due on the 10th. (In a sense I don't feel as though I should be complaining because I know of a few other individuals who have 5 or 6 papers due next week). The 10th will be my last day of class, although the official last day of class is on December 12. I have one final exam for Reading the Bible class on the 17th, which I am not going to even think about until after the 10th. Aside from school I am still working approximately 15 hours/week in the Admissions office and will be taking on a few extra responsibilities next week as my fellow assistant to admissions will be taking time off to spend time with her daughter and brand new grandson. I also had the opportunity to babysit the cutest little girl this afternoon, which was a good study break. I find it so necessary to do things other than study in order to keep me grounded.

Speaking of grounded, this semester I have been meeting with a spiritual director. I have never engaged in spiritual direction before but I am really enjoying the process thus far. My biggest frustration at the moment is not having enough time to actually reflect on all that was talked about in the session, but I guess not feeling like there are enough hours in the day is part of life whether you're a seminary student or not. In the end it is a matter of priorities. I have learned from a few students here the importance of discerning why you are at AMBS so that you can focus your attention to those things that will bring you closer in the direction of your calling because you are bombarded with so much information and opportunities that there is no possible way to develop expertise in every area.

I am really looking forward to a break over the Christmas holidays. I will be flying to Winnipeg on December 18th and busing to Hudson Bay on the 19th, then flying back on January 2. I will be taking a 3 week intensive interterm class in January so I will have to get some reading done over the holidays, but 'tis life. At least I will have a chance to relax with family. Though this semester has been an enjoyable one, it hasn't been without its challenges and I'm looking forward to it being over. Ta ta for now.

Remembering...

Two rich quotes that I am using in a paper that I'm currently writing:

• …the process of remembering begins, however, not with word, but with silence. In the beginning is silence. This silence is not empty, but pregnant with meaning; it is filled with yearning. Indeed, this silence screams words of pain, of ignorance, of evil unacknowledged, and of desire unfulfilled. These words have been denied or rejected; they have been rendered mute. The silencing is of those who have been victimized in history. Their silence contains thousands of words, a host of memories, that we have yet to hear and receive. We are called to enter this silence as witnesses. We are bade to listen attentively to the words of those who have not been fully heard.
  

• Such a witness is to holiness. If the church attends truly, it will hear the call of the Holy Spirit in and through voices of the victimized. It will enter into the depth and mystery of God in Jesus Christ: that life, which is ever precious, seeks itself, even in the midst of degradation and suffering and death. The testimony to suffering is at heart a witness to life, the power of life to endure and to continue to love and be effective. The Holy Spirit, the bearer of life, will be revealed as transforming power, able to manifest itself when life seems no longer possible. This Spirit, whose name is hope, arises out of remembering for the sake of re-membering. In this way the church as a community of remembrance carries the process of redeeming memories for the sake of a hope that can make real the promise of salvation contained in Jesus’ command to remember in his name.

Flora A. Keshgegian, Redeeming Memories: A Theology of Healing and Transformation (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2000), 21, 236.

Sugar buzz...

My roommate's birthday was yesterday so we decided to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory while eating Wonka candy. There was actually even more candy than you see here - we barely made a dent in it!

In addition we had fries, homemade chicken fingers, and chocolate hemp milk pudding (the best chocolate pudding you've ever tasted!) prepared by my good friend Charlotte, and a caramel turtle treat pie from Cold Stone Creamery. We hung out with our friends/neighbours, and managed to squeeze in an episode of Firefly. All in all it was a good evening - I think Carrie agrees. Happy Birthday Carrie!

Thanksgiving...take two

I think I could get used to celebrating Thanksgiving twice every year. On Wednesday evening we had a Thanksgiving potluck with a few students who are here on campus, complete with turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and all the trimmings. Ironically enough, half of us were Canadian! Then my roommate and I were invited to a fellow student's home to celebrate thanksgiving with her and her family. Once again, we had a great big meal, then we went for a walk and saw people putting up their Christmas lights and came back to play a few games. We had a really great time and felt honoured to have been invited to share in another family's traditions.

Today is Black Friday and I am a little wary of heading to the store but I need to go out and pick up a few things for my roommate's birthday celebration which will be this evening. The plan is to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory while eating Wonka candy. I actually found Wonka bars so I'm going to pick up a few of those and see what else I can find.

Christmas Decorating

Apparently putting up your Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving is too soon in the US. Last week I broke down and bought some Christmas decorations - one small tree for the apartment and one small tree for my office. There's just something about having your place decoarated for Christmas once it's white outside. Today a few people saw the tree in my office and said, "Christmas decorations, already?!" I didn't think the the end of November was any too soon to put up decorations, but apparently around here people decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. You learn something new every day.

Procrastination...

So it's Sunday afternoon once again and I find myself wanting to do absolutely nothing yet I have a to-do list from here to Texas. That's why I'm here writing on my blog rather than working on my Bible paper, makes sense, right? I've already started off by baking an apple loaf, falling asleep in the sun while reading a book, and now here I am procrastinating once again. I don't think I've ever been this bad at getting my work done ahead of time as I have been this semester, hence the all-nighters. Maybe I didn't truly perfect the art of procrastination in university so now I have a second chance here at seminary. I think a part of it is that by the time you graduate from university your area of study is so focused in on your specialty/interests that all those required intro classes I'm enduring now seem just a tad bit dull. When you graduate you're also so excited about completing something that when you start a new program it feels as though you're right back to where you started.... and then there's the fact that there's just so much to do that you don't know where to start... and every time you get one project done you want to reward yourself by taking a break but there's so much more to do. These things all add up to me just wanting to take my Sunday afternoon off but, alas, this paper must be written.

Winter Wonderland

This morning Carrie knocked on my door and said, it's the perfect picture-taking morning. I peaked out of the window, jumped out of bed, threw on some clothes, grabbed my camera, and was out the door in no time flat. It was too great an opportunity to miss. I love waking up this way.

First Snowfall

Isn't the first snowfall of the season the most fun?! I woke up this morning and it was white outside. I immediately felt like pulling out the Christmas CDs and putting up decorations. Unfortunately we forgot all our decorations in Manitoba, but the CDs are here. Throughout the day huge snowflakes fell and Carrie and I both noted how they actually fell straight down, not sideways like they do in Manitoba! This evening when we went out to get groceries we could barely sweep the car off before a whole new layer of snow was covering it by the time you got from the front to the back. This is something that typically annoys people in mid-January but when it's the first snowfall you just laugh. I had to take some pictures, even though it was dark outside. I couldn't believe how much snow fell in one day! Another thing that's great about the first snowfall - you can't wait to get out there and shovel. Okay, call us weird, but Carrie and I headed out at 11:00pm this evening to shovel just for fun! We also tried to build a snowman but, even though the snow is incredibly sticky (it's only -2 C), it doesn't stick to itself. Weird!

Theological Apples to Apples

Have you ever played the game Apples to Apples?

The basic idea is that you have two decks of cards: Things and Descriptions. Each turn, the current referee selects a Description and players try to pick, from the cards in their hands, the Things that best match that Description. The referee then chooses the Thing that appeals most and awards the card to the player who played it. The unusual combinations of Things and Descriptions are humorous and quickly has the entire room in an uproar.

Today at "gathering time" (i.e. morning coffee break) we played theological apples to apples. Imagine a room of about 40 seminary faculty, staff and students trying to apply theological terms to the descriptive words "mushy," "delicious" or "wormy" and then trying to argue why purgatory is the best description of wormy! Lots of laughs!

And of course apples with peanut butter and caramel for snack.

Wisdom?

I just got back from my Reading the Bible class. Today we talked about Wisdom Literature in the Old Testament and I learned some really insightful things. Here are a few of the highlights off the top of my head:

• First of all, it's amazing what's in the Bible when you actually read it, as opposed to simply assuming you know what it says.
• In the Psalms of lament, all but one goes from disorientation back to reorientation by the end of the Psalm. The one exception is Psalm 88. This is important theologically because it creates a space to be disoriented for a while.
• The book of Proverbs was written by the elite for the elite and the sayings in Proverbs are not applicable across time and space; they are context specific. Check out Proverbs 26:4-5 for example, "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes." Should you answer the fool or not? The point here is that there is a time when you should keep your mouth shut and a time to speak up - true wisdom is knowing when to do which. There are numerous examples of such tensions in the book of Proverbs.
• Here's something to think about, how would our theology be different if we brought the book of Job and Ecclesiastes more toward the center of our biblical theology?
• The wisdom found in the book of Ecclesiastes has some things in common with Buddhism. Whereas Christians aren't sure what to do with Ecclesiastes, Buddhists will look at it and find that this wisdom makes sense. This could be helpful for ecumenical conversation.

I hope this gives you a little of the flavour of the type of classes I'm in and also gives you something to ponder.

The funny thing is...

You know how sometimes you find those hilarious "stupid laws" lists on the internet? Well, this week I learned of two of such said laws that are enforced here in Indiana.

1. You are not allowed to buy alcohol on a Sunday - any other day of the week you can pick up your wine or case of beer at the grocery store but not on Sundays. I had friends who went down to the local Meijers on Sunday and weren't allowed to purchase their beer. They simply won't sell it to you!
2. You are not allowed to have a fire in your yard unless you're cooking over it. I guess they want to discourage you from burning your garbage, but what some people do then is keep the hot dogs and marshmallows right next to their "campfire" so if the trooper drives buy you can quickly roast your hot dog over the siding you are burning (true story, I heard it today!).

Take a Gravol, pull up a chair, and get ready for a tour...

WARNING: IF YOU ARE PRONE TO MOTION SICKNESS AN ANTI-NAUSIANT MAY BE TO YOUR BENEFIT. This is my first attempt at video recording on my camera so I feel the need to warn you of the shaky quality of the images.

• If you'd like to try to orient yourself, a campus map is available at http://www.ambs.edu/files/documents/admissions/campus-visits/maps/Campus_map.pdf
• The library/bookstore is the newest building on campus, built in 2007.
• Waltner Hall houses administration and classrooms.
• Lambright Center houses admissions (that's where my office is), the dining hall, and classrooms.
• I live in the 50s block (not pictured in any of the videos here but on the campus map).

The main entrance to the campus off Benham Ave and a view of the library.

Campus housing, driveway to main entrance, library, Lambright Center, driveway.

Parking lot, Lambright Center, Waltner Hall, grasslands, tree by the labyrinth.

View from the South-East side of the campus - library/student lounge to chapel.

Amish Country

Yesterday my roommate and I spent the day in Shipshewana, Indiana, "The Heart of Northern Indiana Amish Country" which is about 30 minutes away from Elkhart. There are tons of shops to check out so it's a great place for window shopping or buying gifts. We ate some delicious Amish food at a lunch buffet, bought fresh cheese, and did a lot of browsing both in the gift shops where hand crafted goods are for sale and also in the stores where people living in and around Shipshewana purchase their food, clothing, household goods, and tools.

On the way home we stopped at the Essenhaus Amish Style Restaurant in Middlebury for a "family style" meal. All you have to do is sit down at a table and they bring you salad and warm bread (on which you can spread the yummiest Amish style peanut butter) to start. Then they bring out bowls of noodles, mashed potatoes, fried chicken, corn, and stuffing from which you dish up your plate just like you do around the dining room table at home. When the bowl is empty they'll fill it back up! Then when you think that you can't eat any more they ask what kind of pie you'd like for dessert - there are about 30 varieties of home-baked pies to choose from! After you are done eating you can browse their gift shop and check out their bakery where you can buy more food to take home with you.

Shipshewana and the Essenhaus are two places that you must check out if you're ever in the area!

Horses and buggies everywhere!

One of the alleys with little shops along either side of the street. What town would be complete without a General Store?

I loved the combination of the old and the new found in Yoders Department Store; for example, crocs right next to the tried and true workboots and electric crock pots right next to the eneamel cookware.

Lots of the buildings in which the shops are located resemble a barn on the outside and I noticed that inside almost all of the buildings were amazing wooden floors and grand wooden staircases.

Sunset as we were leaving Shipshewana.

For more info and pictures check out:

http://www.shipshewana.com/
http://www.essenhaus.com/

Check out AMBS on YouTube

I found two postings on YouTube created by an AMBS student last year. I invite you to check them out!

AMBS - Life as a Seminary Student
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeQ7FD5g2J0

AMBS Update 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXgs8Aw-o8Y&NR=1

A Funeral Home and IHOP...what I've been up to lately...

Yesterday my Principles of Pastoral Care class went on a field trip to a funeral home. It was very informative and I think a trip such as this is essential to ministry training. Many of the practices and regulations in terms of death, burial and cremation vary and are regulated by the state, so I learned what kinds of questions I need to ask someday when I'm establishing myself in an area and need to start networking with people such as funeral directors. The class had a complete tour of the funeral home and saw all the behind the scenes stuff. I feel as though I have a much better understanding, and slightly less fear as a result. One interesting tidbit of information: the Amish believe that one must be buried with all their body parts therefore if they're in a farming accident or have an amputation, they need to preserve that body part. This funeral home has received feet, hands, or legs which they then embalm and give back to the person for storage until they die. Apparently these detached appendages do not require any special care after they are embalmed - just put it on a shelf and forget about it!

Following this exciting field trip my roommate and I went to IHOP for supper. We'd seen the commercials on TV so often that we decided we had to check it out. It is very similar to the Pancake House in Winnipeg. They do live up to their motto, though: Come hungry, leave happy! The interesting twist was me telling my roommate, who wasn't on the field trip, all about embalming and cremation and the process of planning a funeral over our all-you-can-eat pancakes!

Next week we have reading days. I've noticed that many students are slacking a bit this week in anticipation of having tons of time and getting lots done over those two days (Maybe I should just speak for myself!). I have a feeling that I'm going to be very disappointed with the amount I'll actually get done but at least I'm getting some relaxation time in right now.

So other than my 15 hours of work, 10 hours of class, 36 hours of scheduled homework time, 2.5 hours of coffee break, 49 hours of sleep, 21 hours of meal preparation and consumption, 2 hours of shopping, 7 hours of exercise, and 7 hours of computer time per week, I have plenty of time to meet new people, hang out with friends, read all kinds of optional readings for class, scrapbook, watch movies, etc. Life is good!

The View From My Window

One of the first things I said when I walked into my apartment for the first time is "I love the view!" Right outside the living room window is a huge maple tree.

It's cloudy and raining today, and yet when I walk into the living room it's almost as if sunshine is streaming through the window. The yellow on the maple is so vibrant right now I just had to try to share it with you.

(Early September)

(Early October)

(Today)
( Today)

Inspiring (and challenging) words to live by...

When I heard who our Theological Centre guest would be this week I wondered what a primary care physician was going to teach us about theology - not that I doubted that he could do it but I was intrigued. He visited classes, spoke in chapel, gave an open lecture one evening, and spoke at forum today. He told us stories - about his dream, about the opening of a community clinic, about his frustrations with the medical "industry", about relationships and integration and empowerment, and about caring for people. I could have listened to him for hours. He's one of those people who's passion fills a room and it's a genuine passion, not an in your face exuberance.

One of the things that really caught my attention was one story he told of attending to a family in their time of loss - he simply stayed with them for as long as it took. Someone in my class asked where he found the time to sit with them since most doctors don't have more than a few minutes to interact with patients. What he said made complete sense in light of his philosophy of care - he had no other choice. He had built a relationship with them, he had been with them through the process leading up to that loss, and he was committed to seeing them through even if, medically, there was nothing more that he could do.

This story reminded me of the primary reason why I believe I was lead to AMBS. I want to become grounded in what I believe, my philosophy of care. I believe it is incredibly important to know what you believe at the very core because this is what you are going to act out of. Our guest this week has inspired me to reflect on that space out of which I operate. I aspire to create the type of foundation so that I will "have no other choice."

Watch your words: they become your thoughts.

Watch your thoughts: they become your actions.

Watch your actions: they become your habits.

Watch your habits: they become your destiny.

Today in forum our guest quoted these words and then said, this is only half of it. The other half is:

Be aware of your destiny, for it will form your habits.

Be aware of your habits, for they will form your actions.

Be aware of your actions, for they will form your thoughts.

And be aware of your thoughts, for they will be reflected in your words.

Words for me to reflect on and live by.

Autumn at AMBS

Thanksgiving...take one (ie Canadian)

My roommate and I drove up to Burlington, Ontario to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with her aunt and family. It's about a 7 hour drive from Elkhart, through Michigan. We left on Friday afternoon and arrived home late last night. We had a fantastic drive up, relaxing visit with Carrie's family, saw some friends from CMU, and aside from an 1 1/2 hour delay at the border (we were selected for a random check), the trip home was uneventful. The drive there was absolutely beautiful and I figured there's no better time to post pictures on here than Thanksgiving!

Fall colours flying past our car at 70mph.

Along the highway in Michigan.

The bridge to the US.

Beside the highway in Michigan.

Picture of the sunset in Michigan, taken from our car. The clouds were creating a texture that I've never seen before and if you look at this picture carefully, it almost looks like it's been painted on canvas.