FARGO

So Fargo has treated me VERY well since arriving here back in September... it amazes me how fast time really does fly. I mean honestly it feels like yesterday when I was a JH leader at my old church on a missions trip, or going on the CHALLENGE trip to Salt Lake City, UT. or sitting on the dock fishing, tubing with the family, and hanging out with extended family. and all sudden it is 8 months past and here I am. its CrAzY how life works isn't it? 

Well I am staying with a family friend who has three boys and they are expecting their fourth.. it has been a lot of fun, early mornings(which aren't fun), wrestling(or "wrasling" as the young cowboys that i stay with call it), trips to the General Store(when the boys are good and I buy them a piece of candy), or trips to Scheels(the place I work) to ride the ferris wheel, or do some practice hunting, or get some fudge... there is so much to do. I have bought over ten goldfish all with names ranging from Bob to Lucy to Bubble face to Tom & Jerry. lol. I have jumped off the top of the roof into way over 8 feet of snow, got my car stuck so many times I cant remember how many, lived through SO many blizzards... and discovered that pouring black coffee on your windshield is a quick fix to deicing it. but than will freeze over with brown ice... how nice. not. I have found out a lot of random things like that though. But overall I have not regreted moving up here for this short time. I have met some amazing people that I am sure will be life long friends and who knows I may just end up moving up here someday. That is if I can withstand the cold/wind/blizzards... but who knows... which if you think that Seattle is horrible for wind you should come to Fargo, and if you think that Minnesota is worse than any other state for snow... you haven't even seen it. 

I have learned a lot though since being here.. and a lot of it has to do with the church I have been going to. As most of you know, I left the church my family went to because I did not feel at all that I belonged there and that God wanted me somewhere else. I did not get along with many people at that church, nor did I agree with anything that was going on there. Not to say that the church was HORRIBLE cause it wasn't completly horrible, it just was defintly NOT the church for me. Ever since my family decided to go there when I was 15 I felt out of place. The people my age did not accept me for who I was and thought less of me since I went to a public school, which shouldn't be. So when I turned 18 I decided to leave, and I found a much better church for me. I was a JH leader and really thought things were falling into place(finally) and I LOVED saturday nights because thats when the single group would meet and I got SO much out of those nights, more than I ever had at any church. It was amazing. My notes became really deep those nights expecially and now since moving up here for this short term, my notes have gotten deeper. The church I am attending defintintly would not have been my first pick, only due to my misconception that all Baptist churches are the same. But I have learned a lot from the messages that have been preached and from the people here. I defintly have a different background than most of the people up here but I have learned to accept that and to learn from them. At first it was a major struggle to say the least but it has been becoming easier. Thankfully.  Also the family I am staying with could be nothing better,(except if the boys didn't wake me up every morning at 5:30 to play with them) but they have treated me as if I were their daughter. It has been amazing. and I will be eternally thankful for them. Anywho.. I have been working at a place called Scheels... and I was a cashier from October till the end of December, in which I was promoted to the Visa Booth getting people to sign up for Visas. It was cool from Oct. to Dec. I broke all the Scheels company records of having the most visas sold. It was pretty amazing, considering they have been in buisness since 1902 and I have broken those records. It was pretty amazing to be promoted to. I work for such a great store. I really hope that someday I will be able to come back either to Fargo, or when I eventually move out to Montana and work at least part time at Scheels. Which another cool thing about Scheels is that they are a Christian based company, another thing that God provided me with is a great job that was Christian based. Anywho. besides all that... I have been working/babysitting/sleeping/going to church everytime I can and hang out with the lovely Madison ALL the time.... she will def. be one that I keep up with hopefully for the rest of my life. and thats about my life here in Fargo in a nut shell...

wow.

So I just noticed that it has been a LONG time since I have last blogged. A lot has happened since July. For one thing my mom had a major unexpected heart surgery that went much better than could have ever hoped for. She healed fast, and the surgery even though it took a very long time went very well. She is in great health and better than ever. In other news I did a medical study on sleeping pills in September through October and it went really well. It really helped my sleeping habits, due to me not sleeping well the past two years, it really kicked it in the butt and I haven't slept better. When I was doing the Medical study it was in Fargo, ND and I was able to stay with a family friend and their three boys. They ended up asking if I would stay longer and nanny their boys for food and rent and whatever else. I thought and prayed about it, and I accepted. I am still currently living with them until April 11th when I will return to good old New Hope, MN, before I leave for Spring School in England. Which is another thing that I should probebly mention. I am going there from the middle of April to the end of June. I will be studying the Bible everyday, learning about the history of the church, different books of the Bible and their authors, and other such things. After that I plan on touring some days in London. I am really looking forward to meeting new friends and really studying the Bible intensly. Please pray for others that are going and that are there right now that they will be impacted and take as much away from it as they can and so will I. Also pray that when everyone returns to their homes from being there that we will not only be changed but also be able and wanting to change other peoples lives as well and that God will be able to speak through us clearly. Thanks! 

I have found my time in fargo to be great. I have really got a lot out of the messages that the Pastor preaches here at Fargo Baptist. It defintly would not have been my first church to pick from since I have moved away from the Baptist setting a while ago and did not see myself going back so fast to a Baptist church. But I will say that I am very happy that I have been attending there due to some great messages and things that I have gotten out of the messages, as well as really close friendships... 

I hope that all is well for everyone. I miss everyone at home, as well as everyone that is elsewhere. There is more to come about everything in Fargo.