Hello, world! It has been a while! Graduation is a week away and I
figured I should give at least a partial update on life. Much has
happened the past few weeks, and summer plans have finally fallen into
place!
The 5K
Some of you may
remember my rant about the Grand Canyon. You may
remember that I boldly declared I would be doing the Couch-to-5k running
plan with the short-term goal of doing a 5k and the long-term goal of
hiking in the Grand Canyon. I can gladly say that has been partially
realized! IHOPU had the second annual “fund run” and I participated
with about a hundred other students and staff members. The weather was
perfect and my friends and I had a great time! I wasn’t able to train
as much as I had originally aspired to, due to being sick and
travelling, but I still did it! I may have looked pretty silly at
times, and my time was by no means astounding, but I pushed myself and
met my goal. I am incredibly proud of myself for doing what I committed
to do!
Summer Plans
Also, since
we are talking about the Grand Canyon already, let me share how that
desire is being fulfilled in a way, too! My dad called me up one day a
few weeks ago and mentioned taking a motorcycle trip this summer. This
has always been one of our favorite things to do together—he drives and I
just sit on the back and enjoy the wind! We went on a short, 3-day
trip a few years ago through South-Eastern Minnesota, which was
incredibly fun! We talked about going to the Grand Canyon, but it is
ridiculously far for a motorcycle trip. Ultimately my desire is for
something epic. Something not flat. Get me out of the Midwest or I’ll shrivel up and blow away like a tumbleweed across the vast, unexciting expanse…
SO
WE ARE GOING TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. HOORAAAAAY! Dad will drive the
Harley Roadking down for my graduation (more on that shortly) on the
20th, and then on the 21st we will trek to Colorado Springs. We’ll
traverse Colorado, go a bit through Wyoming, see the Badlands in South
Dakota, and then be in Minnesota by May 28th. I’m ridiculously excited
to pack up a saddlebag with everything I need (I get a thrill when I
need to pack really light, especially for something as intense as going
to the mountains), put a bunch of good books on my iPod and head off to
see the beauty of God’s creation (AND DO IT ALL WITH MY DADDY)!
When
we get to Minnesota, I’ll be settling down for two weeks of hanging
out! I am excited to be back home for a while. Lots of visiting
friends, doing art, resting, worshipping and helping out with a bridal
shower. When that is all done, I fly back to Kansas City on June 10th.
In
KC I get to spend a week mentally preparing for my job this summer:
camp counselor at the Awakening Teen Camp here at IHOP! I’ll be working
for eight weeks (four, two-week camp sessions), with a brief 4-day
jaunt back to MN for the wedding of Christa Juntunen and Tyler
Thielsen! Exciting! Each camp session I’ll be looking after 8-11 girls
between the ages of 12 and 17. I don’t really know much more than
that, but I am so excited to stay involved with IHOP throughout the
summer and to lead young people into deeper intimacy with Jesus.
Camp
ends early August, I’ll have a few days off before travelling up to
Michigan to see one of my housemates get married. Only two days after
that, school starts and I will be a sophomore at the Forerunner School
of Ministry! WHEW.
I am lovingly referring to this
summer as “The Summer of the Suitcase” because there is much travelling
to be done! I am so excited for everything that is going to be
happening, and I know this is the Lord’s will. Everything fell together
so flawlessly and I see His hand so clearly in my circumstances.
Graduation
As
I mentioned above, I graduate The Call Institute in a week! This year
has been such a whirlwind—I got involved with so many things I would
have never even thought about had I not been in TCI. The Lord’s timing
also amazes me, because my TCI class is the last one at IHOPU. The
program is officially ending here and will someday be resurrected at the
Justice Houses of Prayer (JHOP) around the nation. Everyone in in an
incredible transition—a lot of my classmates are continuing on to be in
full-time ministry on the Strike Team, others are returning to their
homes just to work, and three of us are continuing on at IHOP
University. The Lord is so good and He has put an incredible amount of
excitement in me for the next three years at IHOPU! I am still not
certain of where the Lord wants me, but I know it involves ministry,
teaching and continuing to do art. As I keep studying here, I know
clarity will come, and I’m looking forward to the journey!
So
that’s that. I tentatively have called this “Part One” because there
is a week until graduation and I know I have more to write about, but I
don’t want to do so until school is truly done. That being said, I
probably won’t have time to sit down and process everything until I’m
back in Minnesota at the end of May, so be patient with me! In the
meantime congrats to some of my friends who have also completed their
first years of college, and also to those who have graduated! YOU ARE
ALL AWESOME.
Have a blessed end of the school year/start of summer, everyone!
Rachel
