I'm so FREAKIN' excited.

Go watch the SNL "Surprise Party" skit if you don't get the reference in my title.

Why am I so FREAKIN' excited, you may ask...
-my brother is engaged
-it's a new semester
-my application to the University of Texas School of Nursing is due in about 3 weeks
and most of all
-God is good, even when I am not.

Will try to write more later. Gotta catch up on some school stuff...and by school stuff I mean reading, sleep, and drinking massive amounts of caffeine.

Love,
Alicia

"Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." Psalm 115:1

P.S. Here are some pictures of me and my awesome friends that I have been so blessed with. :)

Beware of Christians

Tonight my church in Austin held a screening of the documentary, "Beware of Christians." I was expecting some crazy, hard-core, over-the-top emotional documentary on Christianity, but was pleasantly surprised to realize that although it was a serious film, it had me laughing my head off much of the time. It's about these 4 college-age guys who have kind of gotten tired of Americanized Christianity and take off on a trip across Europe seeking God's guidance on what it really means to be a follower of Christ. They dissect some sticky topics for any culture such as materialism, sex, alcohol, and media/entertainment, and really try to figure out what God says about them all in the Bible. The main question they had for themselves was, "What happens when four college Christians give up on religion and start following Jesus?"

In the past two years or so, the Lord has challenged me to ask myself the same question. I've really had to evaluate my faith. First, I had to figure out for sure if my faith was really my own or just something I 'inherited' from my parents and grandparents. Once I wrestled through my own beliefs and made sure I knew truth, I had to figure out what my life needed to look like as I pursued a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. I am in no way saying that I am perfect, because I have definitely screwed up along the way and will continue to screw up because I am a sinner and my only redemption is in the saving grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. I can tell you, however, that despite the mess I've made of myself, my life is different with Jesus in it. For most of my life, I have been programmed to respond with "Baptist" or "Protestant" when someone asks my religion. But recently I've begun to respond with "follower of Christ." I say that because nowhere in the Bible does it compartmentalize Catholicism, or Protestantism, and nowhere does it further discriminate into "Roman Catholic," "Orthodox," "Methodist," "Southern Baptist," "Pentecostal," or the like. Does that mean I'm going to sever all ties with the Southern Baptist church? Of course not. My beliefs align with theirs because I believe the Bible is the Word of God and is truth just as they do. But am I going to identify as a Baptist over a true follower of Christ as so many people do these days? I would hope not. Jesus is the bottom line. He's the reason I'm here. God sent Jesus, his only son, to die for me because He loved me, and He did the same for you. God in and of Himself is worthy of a response from us, the added fact that He sacrificed His own son for our good just seals the deal if you were at all hesitant.

Many of you may not know what to think about Jesus, and I would love to talk with you about it. I have a question for those of you who claim Christianity though - what would it look like for you to give up on "religion" and just follow Jesus?

Matthew 11:28

So I know that in Matthew, Jesus says, "Come to me all you who are burdened and weary and I will give you rest," I just never took it literally until today. I have been exhausted lately studying for test after test, but I planned to wake up at 9am today. Instead, I woke up at 12:43pm. I have class at 1. Just imagine the chaos that ensued in my room as I jumped out of bed and threw on some jeans, a hoodie, and a hat because my hair was an absolute mess. I probably could have won America's Funniest Home Videos ten times over. On the plus side, I feel great after a good night's sleep, despite missing lunch and having to sit in class and a meeting for 4 1/2 hours. AND UT is showing HP7 Part 2 on the main mall tonight, so I can't complain.

I don't even know what to do with myself this week because I don't have any tests in the immediate future to study for. It's going to be a good weekend.

Praying for my friends in Africa today...really missing them, especially this awesome lady!

I fail at keeping up with blogs...

Sorry to anyone who actually reads this thing...the good ole University of Texas has kept my schedule pretty jam-packed lately. I should probably recap the past 4 or 5 months, otherwise nothing I say in the future will make sense. Here goes...

-God provided in an enormous way for me to be able to go back to Senegal (financially, spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally...you get the picture)
-God let me see some amazing things and some amazing people in my short time back in Senegal
-God reminded me that even when things don't go as [I] planned, His plan is always better
-God allowed me to come back to the University of Texas and continue my education to become a nurse for His glory

I think that about sums it up. If you want to know more about what the Lord is teaching me, or what He taught me on my second trip to Africa, let me know! There's just no way I could ever fully do His work justice in a blog.

Here's one of my favorite pictures from the trip. Love this family!



"If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."
-2 Corinthians 5:13-15

Home, Sweet Home

Well, for the next 3 months Baytown is my home yet again. I'm SO thankful it's summertime, but I must say, I miss Austin already.

Sorry for not posting in so long, you've got college finals to thank for that one. As nursing students who need stinkin' crazy grades to get into the nursing school at UT, my friends, Kristen, Lauren, and I kind of dug ourselves into a hole for the last couple of weeks of school to study polypeptides, carbohydrates, and the ever-infamous depression and bipolar mental illnesses.. Don't worry, we took breaks! (Ask me about our trip to Hula Hut...THAT was interesting.) But it all seems to have paid off. I'm still waiting on my bio grade though, so keep your fingers crossed! I never would have made it through this semester without the awesome friends God saw fit to give me - my nursing girls as well as my HCBCUT girls. They kept me focused and sane (for the most part). ;)

I finished finals on Thursday, hung out Friday, and FINALLY went kayaking on Saturday with Kaitlyn, her uncle, and Zach out on Lake Austin. We had a ton of fun even when Kaitlyn and I managed to flip our kayak while a ton of people watched...and laughed. Obviously. We also rented these paddle boards (they look like a surfboards), but you stand up on them and paddle yourself around with a big long paddle. That was probably my favorite part, even if I was a bit shaky at first. My arms were definitely sore the next day.

Sunday I checked out of Kinsolving, told my roommate, Allegra, goodbye, and headed off to HCBC one last time for the semester. After that it was homeward bound, but of course Kaitlyn and I had to say bye to one of the most awesome girls we met all semester (don't worry, Amanda - we'll have a skype date soon!)

After a relatively short drive, I was back home. Got to go to lifegroup and see what God is doing in my home church, and I have to say that I'm pretty excited about it. I was a little worried coming home, but God blew that worry out of the water. As we sang on Sunday morning, "Because You're with me, I will not fear."

And just so you know that I haven't fallen off the face of the planet since I got home, here's a picture of what I've been doing.



Yes, that would be my closet. I'm in the process of getting rid of old clothes and attempting to organize it. HA! I'll let you know how that pans out. And if you happen to be well-versed in closet organization, I could definitely use your expertise! Wish me luck!

Peeps and a kick-booty bio grade?

I'll take it. The Lord has blessed my manic studying efforts yet again and I am SO thankful. An epic celebratory dance party just ended in my room if that tells you how excited I am.

Praise Jesus!

Oh, and it was just sprinkling in Austin, so praise Him for that too!

Rolla Coasta

This week...wow. That's all I can say. Easton Corbin with Lindsay and Sunayana was stinkin' amazing last weekend. I even managed to snag one of his guitar picks he threw into the crowd! Too bad it was back to reality the next day for a stressful week of getting ready for a global health presentation and a biology test. Story of my life. Well, story of spring 2011 at least.

Took my bio test on Good Friday and headed home right after. Pretty nice drive minus the crazy wind and random wildfires on the side of I-10, but I have decided that most of the people in Baytown just shouldn't drive. People in Austin drive slow, people in Houston drive like maniacs, but people in Baytown just can't drive. There's such a thing as driver's ed...but it's probably best to go somewhere else to take it.

Spent the night hanging out with my mom and dad, had to twist their arms to get them to take me to El Toro. ;) There are some good restaurants in Austin, but the tex-mex just doesn't compare to home. Today I watched movies and snuggled with my puppy. Yes, she actually watched some of them. She likes Pirates of the Caribbean - smart dog.

Spending Easter with my Highlands church family tomorrow, then heading back to Austin. I've only been out of ATX for a day and I already miss it!