Guest Blog! Liv's Trip to Mali

I  asked my sweet friend and resident to write a out her thoughts about her trip to Africa. She went to Mali over Christmas Break. She gladly did and I am so excited to share her thoughts with you! 

After going to Mali, West Africa twice before I thought I would be a pro at it. God proved me wrong. During my winter break I was given the opportunity to serve in Mali again. However, before I actually went on this trip I was convinced that I was not going to go. I was going to send my family off and I’d be at home alone and then head off to school. Long story short, I found myself on a plane to Mali.  Going on this trip as a college student was a totally different experience for me. I was on a medical missions trip with 13 other team members (5 of them being my sisters and parents) Our purpose of the trip was to show the love of Jesus. The medicine was just a tool, we knew we couldn’t cure Africa.  Many things I never noticed before became so apparent to me this trip. Things that I was able to understand more as a college student than a high school student. On this trip I was much more intentional with showing love.  Whether it be with a smile or a handshake or even the giving of a bracelet.

 I promised to keep this blog short so if you want to hear multiple stories you can go here (http://liv-deighton.blogspot.com/). All in all, I would encourage all college students to go on a missions trip. Even if it is just to an inner city, or across the globe. God works through you and let me tell you he teaches you so much. Since coming back home from this trip I have been changed. I have changed my major to TESOL because I saw the lack of English and Education in Mali. Now you may go on a missions trip and not change your major like I have but you do come home changed. Now I will be the first person to tell you that it was hard to miss a week of college and then to jump right back in. You come back with a lot of culture shock and you are trying to process everything that you experienced. Going on this mission trip required me to grow and mature. However, now being in college I have applied it more to my life. It is obvious that God is working all over the globe. I know that mission trips are not cheap so I would encourage you to start praying and saving now. Maybe you come up with a place you want to go or you go where you feel God is leading you. I want to end with this verse I heard right after I came back to school at Summit. "and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness..."-Isaiah 58:10 When you go on a missions trip ask God to spend you. To use you and all of your gifts and talents he has blessed you with to share his love.

With much love,

Liv

Don't Forget to Register!

These next few weeks are filled with different types of registration.

1.       Registering for housing.

2.       Registering for classes

Holy cow. Pretty big life decisions right there. These topics can be intimidating. I know that as an RA again for next year I am so thankful that I don’t have to worry about registration for housing. Your housing decisions are some of the most important choices you will make in your college career. Honestly. It impacts a lot. A lot needs to go into the process. The most important thing that needs to happen = conversations. These conversations need to be open and honest.  Be honest with yourself and with your friends. What do you need to be a successful student? 

As far as registering for classes goes make sure you meet with whoever you need to meet with. That probably means your advisor. Personally I have found it extremely helpful to make friends with people who are further along in my major. They have really great insights as to when to take what classes and who to take them with. Make sure you go into your advising meeting having some things figured out. You don’t need to know everything but definitely have an idea of what you want to do next semester. 

Both of these things take planning and having conversations that really are not the most fun. But it’ll all really pay off in the end. Take a deep breath. It will all work out. Somehow our amazing, wonderful, all knowing God works it all together. Take comfort in that. Don’t let either of these topics hold more room in your life than they should.

Spring Weather = :)

It’s pretty great that we came back from Spring break to have spring-like weather. I don’t know about you but I am a fan. I think that sun just makes me a better person. I like other people more. I am just all around in a better mood. Am I alone in that?

There are a few things that are tendencies when the weather starts getting warmer. 

1.       Taking off your clothes.

Yes, it is warmer and you are ready to leave behind your winter clothes. I think that is so great. However, be careful. When in doubt…change. I know you might have great legs but short shorts, dresses, and skirts make everyone feel uncomfortable.  The girls want to call you out on it and if they don’t say it to your face they are thinking it and probably talking to other people about it… and the boys maybe aren’t thinking the most pure things (trust me, you don’t want that kind of attention). 

 This picture is dramatic but I thought it was funny. Girls at IWU can wear hats etc. But I think you get the point.

2.       Exercising outside again.

I think it is only natural that the warm weather makes us want to take our workouts outside. I love me some vitamin D from that sunshine. There are also a few cautions with that craving. Remember to be smart. When you go for a run…you should be running against the cars (left side of the road). When you go biking you should go with the traffic (right side of the road).  I was crazy to think that everyone knows this rule. There have been countless times when I have been running  and another runner is coming towards me on the same side of the road…that just shouldn’t happen. Today I went for a bike ride and I was on the right side of the road and came face to face with a runner coming towards me. There are some other great tips if you click on this link. http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/knowing-your-running-safety-rules.html

 Notice how you can see the bikers butt and the butts of the car.

There is something powerful in the first few warm days after being inside all winter. Campus is alive, that’s for sure. There is something powerful about going for a run and the sunlight hitting your skin.

When the weather gets warmer what is your favorite thing to do? What is that feel good sunshine activity for you?

Post a comment! I want to hear from you! Just do it!

Now get outside and enjoy this fresh air!

Spring Break is.....over.

I know it might seem dark and depressing to have to go back to school now…but trust me this is just the start of the best time of the year. These next 7 weeks. That’s right…I said 7. (Less than 2 months) Are the bomb. The weather is warming up…boys in South Hall start playing music out their windows…and football on the lawn. The sun stays out longer. It is really all downhill till summer! Take joy in that.

As you come back from Spring Break it is always a good idea to gather your thoughts about what you did over break. So, when people ask you, you will be prepared to answer…instead of forgetting and then making yourself think that you did nothing.  I always like to go back through my break and think about all that I did just for self satisfaction. I want to remind myself that I did not waste that time and that I really enjoyed it. 

Here are some questions to think about:

What did I do when I first got to where I was going?

Who was it really great to see?

What was my favorite thing to eat?

What was the best thing I did?

What was the most productive thing that I did?

What TV show did I catch up on?

What am I most looking forward to in these next 7 weeks?

Be ready to answer a few of those and bam you are set for your next 12 conversations once you are back on campus!

Boy's thoughts on Beauty Week

During Beauty Week I had a lot of great conversations with guys on the topic. As I talked about Beauty Week with more and more guys I started to realize how much they had to say and what awesome thoughts they had on the whole topic. I decided I wanted them to share on this blog. I have specifically not included names. But both of these quotes are from men who attend IWU. 

“I loved this emphasis on beauty. I think girls get really caught up in presenting themselves as these glamorized people who don't really exist. Having lived with and discussed this with men, we are much more interested in a girl who is honest with her beauty. Not a girl who tries to alter her beauty, but one who embraces herself. That's a true beauty. Make-up has never been a necessity or anywhere near the list of criteria for a potential wife. In fact, the confidence of a girl who lets her natural beauty shine is far more attractive than any amount of concealer or eyeshadow.”

“Let’s be honest, most girls usually look better when they wear makeup than when they don’t. Even if a girl looks pretty without makeup, when she chooses not to wear it, we notice something is different. Our culture has taught us that girls wear makeup, and that’s just how it should be. Is it wrong for girls to wear makeup? I would say definitely not. But girls, especially Christian girls, should question why they wear makeup, and what truly makes them beautiful."

        The Bible has many things to say about true beauty, beauty that comes from the Lord. 1st Samuel 16:7 says that “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” Then in 1st Peter 3:4, it says that true beauty comes from a “gentle and quiet spirit.” So knowing this, Christian girls and guys should both acknowledge that true beauty does not come from how we look on the outside, but from who we are, and from how we were made. (Check out Psalm 139:14)
        I’m not going to say that I think wearing makeup is right or wrong. That’s not my place. But ultimately, I think that if a girl feels like she is worth more because of the makeup she is wearing, that is a problem. She should know that she is beautiful without it. Our culture puts a great emphasis on physical beauty. Is physical beauty wrong? No. But it becomes wrong if it’s the only thing we focus on. So as Christians, we should challenge our culture’s perception of beauty with the true beauty that comes from God. I think North Hall Beauty Week was a creative way of challenging that perception.”

That Break in Spring

Now is the time. The time we have long awaited. Spring Break is here. Don’t let it slip by. It is all too easy for us to greet this long expected guest and before we know it…it’s gone. Soak it up. 

For me, it helps to cast a vision. I cast a vision of what I want my break to be like. I try to be realistic. As much as I want to go to Puerto Rico…I really don’t think that it’s happening this year.  Here are some example visions I will make up….now.

1.       The Relaxing Spring Break: I want to catch up on TV shows. I want to sleep in till I can’t sleep in no more. (insert whatever else relaxing you want to do)

2.       The Catch up/Get ahead: I want to see old friends from home. I want to have great conversations with them. I want to work on some of my school work so I don’t have to deal with it later. 

3.       Travel: I am going somewhere… (self explanatory really)

Get creative. Just don’t let your spring break pass you by without creating a vision….or it’ll be gone in a flash and you will feel like you’ve done nothing. If you state that you want to relax and watch TV….and that’s what you do…then you will know that you accomplished that. Think also about what you NEED from this break. Make it a break. Do you need sleep? DO IT! Do you need to have intentional conversations with people? Have them. Do you need to plan out your classes for the next few years? Now’s a great time for that. 

Side story: Last year I needed to cuddle a puppy for my spring break. My mom being the supermom that she is lets us foster sit for dogs that would otherwise be in shelters. It just so happened that there was a foster dog family that needed someone to watch their puppy for a few nights. It worked out perfectly. I got to sleep in on the days that puppy wasn’t there…and when it was there I got some great puppy love.

Maybe it’s not a puppy that you need/want. But figure out whatever it is. Make it happen. Ask God to bless your time and your conversations. And He will.

Beauty Week

This past week was beauty week in North Hall. We take the week to focus on inward beauty rather than outward beauty.

 1 Samuel 16:7 says "For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."

Our society has really screwed up our perception of beauty. Like seriously screwed it up. It makes me angry just to think about it. We all know what our society sees as beautiful. It is pointless for me to make a list. However, how often do we focus on what the Lord sees as beautiful? 

1 Peter 3:3-4 says “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.”

Throughout the week there are different reminders and challenges. On Monday we were challenged to focus our thoughts. As women we have ridiculous amount of negative body thoughts every day. Again I think this is caused a lot by our society’s perception of beauty that we all strive to live up to (which is impossible).  On Tuesday we focused on what is considered beautiful in other cultures. On Wednesday every girl was challenged to wear jeans, a white, t-shirt, and no make-up. I think that this is such a great challenge. So often we hide behind our creative outfits and layers of make-up. However, I think that not wearing those things really focuses on the imperishable beauty that each woman holds. On Thursday we had a challenge to wear a rubber band on our wrist. Each time that we gave someone a compliment on outward appearance we switched the rubber band to the other wrist. I was shocked by how often I compliment other people on outward appearances. I am not a high fashion person…so it really surprised me. I then would try to follow those compliments up with compliments that were deeper and focused on the person’s character and inner beauty. Friday we focused our thoughts on the Proverbs 31 woman.  

Overall, the week was great. I along with some of my fellow RA’s decided to go without make-up for the whole week. It was quite a challenge. I was amazed by how often I felt the need to apologize for not wearing make-up, or explain myself. It’s just me? There is nothing wrong with that. Another huge take away from the week was the difference between telling someone “You look beautiful” and saying “You are beautiful”. 

Focus on your inward beauty. Focus on others inward beauty. Lets continue to redefine beauty.