[8/16] Trip to Canadian

So this past weekend the AIM class went up to Canadian, TX. It. was. a. blast. At first I was just wondering what we were going there for. It didn't seem like they had much planned for us, and really...they didn't. But somewhow each moment of the day was filled with blessings for them and especially for us. I didn't even know that it was pretty in that part of Texas but it definitely was. We had hills and plateaus and it was green and pretty! =) When we got there we went into the church building and they had pizza for us and we just talked with people and sang songs together. Then we got split up into our host families and I got put with 8 other girls (Amanda, Susan, Michelle, Valerie, Kalen, Glenna, Danni, and Jennifer) with a widow named Joyce. She was such a nice lady and really enjoyed having us over. She told us alot about her family and how she was born and always lived (w/the exception of just a few years) in Canadian, and mostly in the same house after her and her husband got married. We learned that she really loves butterflies and actually owns most of the land on her block, as well as a sweet collie named Daisy :)

On Saturday we had a lesson on conflict but a lot of it was on being men and women of God, which was really cool. I liked it alot and it reminded me of things I needed to hear. After that we hit the town lol. Really, we did a lot of walking and went down to a soda shop that was just amazing. I got a rootbeer float and just talked and got to know some of my classmates better. The shop was attached to this antique store that had some pretty amazing (and expensive) things. I will remember those old cashiers and soda dispensers, coke machine, and especially the strange painting we saw of dead animals hung on a wall. yes, it was very strange haha. After the shop we headed into the back of a truck and drove down to the bridge. We walked the bridge back and forth and watched the trains go by and our classmates play in the water below. Then it got even better!

The church had a cookout for us and we got to eat some amazing burgers and food and just do more fellowship! Fellowship is amazing. Seriously, it's not about food at all...this whole trip was fellowship. It's about being with each other and sharing in each others' experiences and being there for one another. After we ate and talked ( got to talk to some assistants which was cool), I saw the kids playing and thought it'd be a cool idea to join them. So I went over and jumped into a game of tag. We then played chinese freeze tag, red light green light, and another game I can't remember the name of. The kids were so fun to play with and having a bunch of us AIMers play with them was fun too. We may not be in the best of shape anymore but our hearts were sure into it and speaking for myself, I felt like a kid myself. It was just good fun and I'm sure those kids will remember playing with us. That night the girls and I talked alot and got to know each other better and hear about our backgrounds. Man, everyone has a different story, a different life and somehow we all ended up together reaching for the same goal...God is Good!

Sunday morning we went to class and in worship some of our guys led prayers and singing. I'm so proud of our young men that get up and lead. It makes me feel good to see them displaying their love for Christ and leading others in worship. Two of my classmates (Chris Reid and Erick Paddy) talked about why they came to AIM and a little bit of their background. I was proud of them too for sharing with everyone there and just uplifting everyone with their faith and desire for God. The church provided us with more food...gosh, amazing people...and it was goooooood! I got too much because it all smelled and looked so scrumptious. But yes, it was yummy. We had our first test on the NT books and I'll have a test on OT today and on wed. Ed's 1st test (dun dun duuuuuuun). But overall, this has been an amazing experience so far that I know is the start to something BIG in my life. I've still got plenty of growing to do, and I feel like it's going to be here that I do it. I really love my classmates and teachers and I hope I can make an impact in the times to come