My Story So Far..

I graduated high school in 2005 at the top fifteen percent in my class. I thought I had it all planned out. I was going to go to the local community college for two years and then I was going to go to a private four year university that was approxamately forty minutes from my home. I planned to major in elementary education and minor in music and theatre. But, life had a total and complete plan for me.
I went to the local community college and did fairly well in my classes. The one thing that I liked about it was it was close and cheap. I had managed to work enough jobs and to not borrow any money from the bank. My parents only chipped in a little. I was proud of myself. I had put myself through two years of college and really learned the value of a dollar. Sure I had twenty dollars in my pocket but, I had to decide if I were to spend it on gas money to get to and from school or go and buy myself that new cool purse I had my eyes set on.
My next step was to apply to other college and see what I could do next. All the college that I applied to had accepted me, which did not however help me in my desicion. I visited a few of the ones I was accepted to and found out that the website were a bit decieving. The grounds were not always green with happy students sitting around in a circle laughing with books open on their laps.
One day on a whim, I decided to go and be a chaperone for a youth trip that my church was planning on going to. I thought it would be a great idea to go and get away from the pressures of school and go and have some fun. It turns out that I had more than fun. The orginization that put on the event, Youth Encounter, also puts out year long ministry teams, some that travel around the states and others that travel internationally. I thought it sounded cool.
I arrived home that Sunday and sat at the computer for over three hours filling out this intense application to be on one of Youth Encounter's teams in the year 2007-2008. My parents were not sure what I was planning on doing. I had to explain to them a few times that I had applied to be a memeber of a traveling music ministry team stateside and would be going to churches putting on concerts, doing youth events, and even some prison ministry. They both looked at me like I was completely crazy.
I was accepted to go on this team. I was placed on Captive Free West Coast 2007-2008. My family dropped me off at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota and saw me twice during the year, Christmas and Easter.
This experience has changed me, now I no longer want to be going to a college forty minutess away from my house. I am attending Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota eight hours away from my house, and I am no longer an elementary education major, but in the pre-med program studying to be a pediatrician.