It's happening. It's getting real.

Week 1: CFNI

"It's happening.  It's getting real."  I wrote this in my journal on Tuesday, August 9, 2016.  Before I started at Christ For the Nations Institute, I made a commitment to document my experience here because I knew it would be quite the journey.  Perhaps this will be incorporated into a book one day.  Or perhaps someone will be inspired to go where the Lord leads them after reading my entries.  A week has passed since school started and I have no more journal entries.  The enemy tends to do that.  He tries to keep you from doing good works for God.  So today, I was determined to get active and write.

My friend Crystal gave me this journal.  I decided to use it for my CFNI journey.

My first and only entry.

I checked into school Wednesday, August 10th.  My good friend Crystal went with me.  After getting the key to my apartment, I was excited to check it out.  Yes, I decided to move on campus.  Some were worried about me living in Oak Cliff, an area of Dallas that is pretty much the hood.  Others didn't understand why I would want to live on campus.  I did think about living with my friend Laura and she was excited too but I honestly heard God say, "Live on campus".  There are advantages to campus living which includes no traffic commute and the chance to be immersed.  Most importantly, God told me to.  He gave me a vision of new friends hanging out at my place, drinking tea, and talking about the Lord.  

My first day at registration.  Deer in headlights look!  (pic credit: CFNI)

My awesome friend Crystal and me.

About to enter my apartment!

So this happy face in the picture quickly turned upside down when I opened the door.  When I walked into my place, it was not clean or move-in ready.  I had planned on moving in Saturday anyway but the fact that it wasn't what I expected made me upset.  However, I didn't want to dwell on this detail and let it ruin my experience.  Crystal and I laughed it off.  I knew the enemy was trying to discourage me.  I didn't want to let something this superficial bother me.  I told myself, "If I am to one day go to unreached places for missions, I must learn to let things go."  When we expect things, we can get disappointed.  I am reminded of my Berlin mission trip leaders Brian and Yanira who would prepare us by saying we have to be "fluid and flexible".  Crystal and I put in a work order to Housing.  They were very compassionate and said my place would be cleaned soon.

The next day was Day 1 of orientation and I was nervous about walking into a large auditorium and not knowing anyone.  I saw a woman sitting in the second row and decided to sit next to her.  She greeted me and said her name was Amy.  She is from Nashville, Tennessee and her roots are Nigerian.  Cool!  For a while now, connections to Nashville has been showing up in my life and never have been there, I feel I am meant to go one day.  My friend Laura and I plan on a summer trip there.  So when Amy said she was from Nashville, I felt God was saying, "I've got your back.  You'll be ok."  Amy and I had much in common including our similar age.  I admit one of my anxieties was being one of the older kids on campus.  In orientation, sitting behind me was an older Japanese couple.  Ok, so I'm not the oldest one here.  I once knew this guy who told me, "it's only as awkward as you make it."  During orientation, the school asked students to shout out where they were from.  Some places I had never even heard of.  I did her a female voice say, "Vietnam!"  Ooooh, I will have to figure out who she is.  

Amy and I decided to grab lunch in the cafeteria together.  While in line, we connected with other students and saw that so many were international.  I would ask people, "what is your name and where are you from?"  Another nice surprise that day was the cafeteria served chicken pho, a Vietnamese soup.  It wasn't the real deal but I did enjoy eating it.  We sat next to a couple of Brazilian girls from Boston and another Nigerian woman.  It was her first time to eat mashed potatoes.  She was not that thrilled about it, lol.  I saw a waffle maker and was so excited.  The Nigerian woman said she had never eaten a waffle so I ran over to make her one.  While waiting for my waffle to cook, I met a girl preparing her first waffle too.  Her name was Faith and she was from Vietnam.  This was the voice I heard during orientation that morning!  Faith was a very warm person with missionary experience.  Later in the day, she met me at my apartment before we attended the kick off ceremony.  As she was helping me put a few items away, she pointed towards my bed and asked, "what's that?" I explained to her that it was a boxspring that added support to the bed.  She asked about a few more things including a bluetooth speaker for my shower.  As I was hearing myself talk, I wondered if I was sounding materialistic.  She asked me if I wanted to be a missionary one day.  I told her that yes that could be a possibility.  She replied with , "You will learn to simplify."  Haha, I actually thought that was funny.  Initially, I wanted to defend myself and tell her I was simplifying!  I moved from a very nice area of Dallas and here I am now "roughing" it.  I understand where she is coming from though.

Faith and me at kick-off ceremony.  People think we look like sisters.

  

 Day 2 of orientation: I saw Amy again and she had alot on her mind.  We talked into my apartment and she shared how she wasn't sure if she could attend school due to obstacles.  The day before, I heard her heart and how she knew she was meant to be at CFNI.  I told her if it was God's will to have her enrolled, she will be.  I told her about my Godwinks such as her being from Nashville.  I prayed over her and when I was done, I shared how before school started, God told me to live on campus because I would be ministering to students in my apartment.  I told her it just happened with her.  She said, "yes and there will be many more who will come".  God, I pray so.

Saturday: Moving Day

I thank my parents and friends for their help.  It meant so much to me for them to take time away from their busy schedules.  My mom said, "When you were 18, we didn't move you to college.  18 years later, we are doing it now."  Haha, how funny.  My friend Joyce was pregnant and our other friend Michelle told her, "my mom said you are not allowed to lift anything!"  Later in the evening, my friends and I had dinner at a yummy pizza place called Eno's in the Bishop Arts District.

Kisha and Michelle.  You know you're in good hands when you have two engineers putting your furniture together.

Emily on the floor.  Oops.  Inside was an Ikea table that we attempted to put together but turns out one of the legs was defectively too long!

my sweet mom snuck these bowls and instant noodles into my cabinet.

left to right: Joyce, Emily me, mom, Kisha, Michelle

I picked up this custom painting earlier that day for my apartment.  I have already blogged about the significance of this painting which you can read here.  It's a pretty amazing Godwink!