Wrappin’ Up

     Four more days… that’s it and then finals are over! This last month has been a blur as I’ve been trying to sort out so many details… figuring out my last semester of college, finishing papers, preparing for finals and trying to find an internship for my business degree. As the reality of becoming a college graduate in December draws nearer and nearer, I’ve really been thinking about what career direction I want to go. As I talk to people, search online and pray about it, I realize what abundant opportunities God has blessed each one of us with!

     As, I look back on this past spring, I think it was my favorite semester at Jessup. I enjoyed the variety of my classes and the deepened relationships among the business students in my classes. When I graduated from High School, I wondered where I would attend college and I can’t help but thank God for His guidance in my life. At Jessup, I have developed relationships that will last a lifetime, have gained valuable knowledge that will assist me in the future, have been blessed with the opportunity to be on the women’s soccer team and have been given Godly wisdom that I will never forget. As a community of believes, I cherish each time we are able to worship in chapel together. As summer comes to a start, I hope that I will continue to be in His Word and be attentive to His presence in my life.  This is a prayer that holds a special place in my heart…

Fellowship of the Unashamed

Have a wonderful summer, Jessup!

~Chrislin

Adventures in Italy

     Spring Break is just around the corner and I can’t believe that our trip to Italy was a year ago! During spring break last year, fifty sumthin’ of us from Jessup traveled to Rome and explored the historical city. The Vatican was absolutely beautiful and standing in the Sistine Chapel where some of Michelangelo’s finest work is held was breathtaking. I can remember looking up at the chapel’s ceiling and wondering why I hadn’t expected something so amazing. We always see such popular artwork in textbooks, but to actually be standing beneath it dramatically increases your appreciation for it. I’ll never forget walking into St. Peter’s Basilica either. The church’s magnificence is indescribable! One of my favorite moments was when we visited the Mamertine Prison where Paul had been held as he awaited his execution. I felt that standing right where the apostle Paul had once lived inspired my faith in a way. My reading of the Bible becomes so much more real when I can think, ‘I’ve been there!’ Additional adventures of our trip included the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the arch of Constantine, Hadrian’s Villa, and trips to both Florence and Pompeii. Spending Easter in Italy with friends was a trip that I will never forget!

Get Motivated!

     A couple of weeks ago Michael Phelps, Gen. Colin Powell, Zig Ziglar, Rudy Giuliani and Steve Forbes were all in Sacramento! I got to listen to these awesome speakers at the Get Motivated business seminar at Arco Arena. They shared insights on how to invest your money, how to find your motivation style and what it’s like to competitively train to win 8 gold medals in the Olympics! I was pleasantly surprised to hear the Gospel message shared too! In the midst of learning how to become a successful business person, Tamera Lowe gave her testimony about how Jesus Christ changed her life. Rudy Giuliani, New York’s mayor during 9/11 shared many of the extreme details of that tragic day and how we need to have a plan when unexpected events occur. Michael Phelps shared that for five years straight, he trained without taking a single day off! Overall, I thought it was really awesome to hear from some of the top people leading our country!

     Jessup’s semi-formal event this past weekend was really a lot of fun! A caricature artist was there drawing cartoon pictures of people’s faces, there was a time devoted to teaching us a few swing dancing steps and there was also an orchestra on stage playing beautiful music. It was nice being able to dress up and enjoy a relaxing night on campus! And I turned 22 this week too! My friends and I had a fun celebration at Claim Jumper… they have the best chocolate cake ever!     

Thinkin’ Graduation

So, I guess I’m graduating sooner than I thought! I checked in with the registrar last week to make sure I was graduating on time and to my pleasant surprise, I need 10 units less than I thought I did! It definitely pays off to make a 4-year plan freshman year and then follow it! As I think about what career I’d like to pursue, the idea of being a college, academic counselor really interests me. At church on Sunday, we talked about how God has individually shaped us and I’ve recently thought a lot about it. I’ve enjoyed organizing my classes every semester and I love getting to know people one on one. I finally feel that there’s a direction I want to go… and I’m excited about it! As I realize that school just might not be over quite yet, I’ve been looking into Master degree programs at Sac State. The thought of life after college can be a little scary, but I’m lookin’ forward to see what doors the Lord opens.

It was great having 3 days off this weekend! I drove to Stockton to spend time with some friends I hadn’t seen in years. Friendships are such a refreshing blessing! Then, for Valentine’s Day Justin & I went out to a movie and Sushi… I’m gettin’ better with the chopsticks! haha… kinda! After accomplishing writing my theology essay and getting my taxes done today, I’m ready for a new week…

~Spring Launch~

Well… we’re off to another great semester start! One thing I love about college is that we get a month break for Christmas! I remember in High School, we’d only get a couple of weeks off and then we’d have to take our finals as soon as we got back… but here, there’s no studyin’ over break! When a new semester hits, so does a whole new schedule. I really like my new teachers this semester and how I have a mix of Bible, Business and General Ed classes.

 

Luckily, there’s not too much homework so far and I was able to take a drive to Yosemite this weekend! I had never been there before and it was absolutely beautiful! There was snow on the ground and the fog made it a little bit mysterious ’cause we couldn’t see everything. Nor Cal is such a great to live; San Fran is only a couple hours away, Tahoe is just up I-80, Yosemite can be a one day adventure and downtown Sac is always a fun place on weekends.

 

Last night, some friends and I started our college-aged Bible study back up at church. I’m excited to dive into the Word in fellowship with awesome people who love the Lord. I love my church, which I have been going to for about 12 years now. We just recently moved into a building across Highway 65 just near WJU. Some of my best friendships have developed from the community at Creekside and it’s provided opportunities for me to serve in childcare and gain wisdom from different classes. 

 

 

 

I Finished a Marathon!

So, last weekend I ran a marathon! It was 26.2 miles starting at Folsom Lake and ending at the State Capitol in Downtown Sac. There were about 10,000 runners which added excitement to the journey! Roads were shut down and there were all kinds of fans out on the sidewalks with bells and signs, cheerleading squads, bands playing loud music and people wearing things from Santa costumes to speedo suits! My boyfriend and I finished the race in just less than 5 hours, which we were pretty pleased with because of the lack of training we did!! Going into it, I had no idea what to expect and how my body would react, but the run went better than I thought. The last mile was probably the longest 12 minutes of my life, but once I crossed that finish line, the feeling of achievement was all worth it! I’m not sure if we’ll do it again next year… maybe after the incredible amount of soreness and pain goes away this week, I’ll give it another thought.

     As this semester comes to a close, I thank God for all the opportunities He provides… the blessing of being at a wonderful Christian University, being challenged in my faith, playing on a soccer team that made it to the top, having the endurance to finish a marathon, seeing God provide financially, developing new friendships and most importantly, learning more and more that life is ultimately about giving each day to the Lord. As finals come around one more time, it’s going to be a challenging week, but I know that it’s another opportunity to put Christ at the center of my life.

Spreadin’ the Word

     For the last 8 weeks I’ve been taking an evangelism class through my church. It’s called the Way of the Master training which walks you through a video series on how to share your faith. It has been a really stretching experience as I’ve leanred how to explain my faith. I’ve been a Christian all my life, but sadly, it’s not easy talking to people about Jesus. The other day I was thinking about how I’m a Bible & Theology major and that I know a lot about the Bible, but then I realized how pointless it would all be if I didn’t know how to effectively explain the Gospel to someone! For our last class this past Sunday, a group of us went to Sacramento and shared our faith with people out on the streets. We talked to all kinds of people! People our age and people who were much older. We talked to people working and those who were just enjoying a nice Sunday afternoon. I learned that more people than I thought were willing to both listen and talk with us. It was really awesome to be able to plant small seeds and to hopefully make people think twice about where they will spend eternity. I was encouraged so much and realized how I need to share my faith throughout my everyday life. We have been given the best news that every person on the earth needs to hear!!

    We also got back from our trip to L.A. this weekend. The girls soccer team went down south to play Azusa on Saturday for Nationals. It was a fun weekend going out to a nice dinner together and spending time with friends in the hotel. Unfortunately, we didn’t win, but it’s been an a great season with a tremendous amount of growth!! Who knows what next year has to bring!!

Champions

     Women’s soccer has finished conference in first place! The 9-2-1 record is the team’s best yet! Jessup had an exciting 4-2 victory over Holy Names from Oakland this past Wednesday. After being down by one goal in the last 20 minutes of the game, Jessup scored three goals to finish it off. As champions of the California Pacific Conference, our team will continue to practice in preparation for nationals. Having been on this team for three years, it’s been incredible to see how far it’s come. A few years ago, I can remember struggling to even have enough girls to play and now looking back, I see that it’s just been one step at a time. A feel blessed to continue to be able to play after having gone through two serious knee injuries. During my senior year of High School I tore my ACL and had surgery shortly after I graduated. After I recovered, I went on a missions trip to Costa Rica. One of our oureaches was playing soccer with the people there and then sharing the Gospel with them during half time. During one of the games, I tore my other ACL and had knee surgery again shortly after I became a freshman at Jessup. I red-shirted my first year on the soccer team and a trainer spent much time with me strengthening my leg again. I am constantly reminded that life is full of surprises and that only God remains unchanging.

    As I think back to my Costa Rica mission trip, I can’t help but think about how life changing it was. I would encourage those of you who have the slightest desire to go on a missions trip to go. To see the world at a different perspective changes your outlook on life. Some families have to carry their groceries home because they don’t have a car. Some churches can’t meet in their building because the roof doesn’t keep rain out. And many people are open to the Gospel because they haven’t experienced such love from people. As I worshiped on a Sunday morning in Central America, I realized that people all over the world were worshiping the Lord. My thoughts are so limited within a box sometimes, that I forget all that goes on outside my own life. I learned so much and was stretched a lot that summer. I know that Jessup offers some great opportunities for missions. If it sparks an interest, I encourage you to pray about it and seek out the opportunities that WJU has to offer. College days are a great time to go!!

A Warm Welcome to Jessup

     If you’re a high school senior reading this, it’s coming time to start applying for college! Looking back to my last year at Roseville High School, I can remember making those tough decisions. I had visited the Jessup campus and was truly impressed by the love of the staff. I had noticed that the leadership at WJU really represented what servanthood was all about. Jim Jessup gave me a tour of the campus and was more than willing to answer any questions I had. I remembr thinking, ‘Isn’t this man really busy and have other things he needs to get done?’ Students are important at Jessup and this has been proven over and over through the years.  On another occassion I attended a Romans class, visited chapel and walked through the dorms with one of the Resident Assistants. Then the Dean of Academic Affairs introduced himself to me and volunteered to take me to the financial aid office. I found out I was offered a couple of different scholarships and I went home that day feeling that God’s hand was really providing.

     I know that applying to schools can be a long process, but it pays off in the end. The mystery as a high school senior has disappeared and I have found my home. I encourage those seeking out a school to pray for the Lord’s guidence. He will open doors and close doors. He gives us choices and we can experience the joy of making great decisions. Work hard on your application, recommendations and essays. College is a wonderful time to grow, challenge yourself and see the Lord work. In a community like this one, you have the opportunity to deepen friendships and grow closer to the Lord with brothers and sisters in Christ.

Victories!

     The last few days have been an exciting time for the lady warriors! Yesterday our team had a close match against Menlo College which ended in a 2-1 victory!! Wednesday we also had a great match against Simpson University which also ended in a 2-1 victory. After playing the first two conference games, the team is off to a great start! Thanks to community support and dedicated fans, there’s been lots of energy and enthusiasm out at the field!  

     The semester has been passing quickly and I find myself in the midst of midterms to study for and projects to work on. I’m constantly being reminded of the importance of balancing my time wisely. As I prepare for tests and stay caught up in classes, I’m also enjoying new friendships being developed and spending time with old friends.