days 1-4

I don’t actually have my internet log-in yet, so I cant get online. Im writing this post on Monday and hopefully I’ll be able to post it tomorrow. Anyway a lot has happened to this is probsbly gonna be pretty long.

I suppose I’m a college freshman now. We got here about 11 or so on Saturday. Moving in was a pain in the butt, but luckily the halls weren’t full of other first year kids. I was technically supposed to move in on Friday, but I decided to wait. (mainly to see Dane Friday night haha). So Saturday everyone was pretty much finished.

My roommate (Karla) and I both have loft bed. Her dad built her on and we just removed the bottom bunk from the already existing bed to make mine. It really clears up some space on the floor. We both have our desks and dressers beneath the lofts. The only downfall to a loft is always having to climb up. It especially stinks when you want to read in bed and then have to get up to put your book away or turn the light off. I did luck out though. Karla is quite the reader so she’s always reading later than I am. So far she’s been “light manager”. Last night I also realized that my bible fits nicely between my bed and the wall. It even sits on one of the bars to prevent it from slipping through. So all-in-all, the loft is good.

Yesterday all of the freshman and transfer students had to do what’s called “Deke Day”. (Deke is short for some greek word that mean to serve, care for, etc.) We we’re separated into our Gateway Orientation classes. I didn’t know which class I was in since I wasn’t there Friday so they put me with Phil Cook’s group. There were actually about 30 of us who didn’t know which class we were in so Phil’s group got quite large. Anyway we were all given matching Deke Day shirts to wear. Many groups took buses to their activity, but we were so close we just walked. Right behind the campus is a nursing home kind of center. It’s a little different though because all of the patients have their own apartments. Anyway there we were split into smaller groups and sent off to a certain floor. We knocked on the doors to greet them and invite them to the lobby for a service that we had about an hour later. The freshman do this every year so most of the residents knew we were coming. Many of them invited us in to talk and show pictures and so on. My group actually got a chance to pray with one lady. Her blood pressure had been really high so we all prayed for her. Once we were finished on our floor we headed back downstairs for the service. It was really great. At first I though, “okay, this will be nice, making old people smile or whatever.” I’d been to nursing homes and done this kind of stuff before, but this time was so different. We had maybe 30 residents come down (which was great because it was a pretty small building). Although most of the time we sang old hymns out of the book, I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t just a bunch of people standing around playing piano and singing. People, young and old, were actually worshiping TOGETHER in a little apartment lobby. It was really a great experience! Afterwards we went back to the arena and talked about it. Everyone had something good to say. Phil asked us, “What Happened, So What, and What Now?” He was an awesome leader. I really hope I’m in his gateway class. It was almost like we were getting close, small group, discussion with some great evangelist.

Later that night we went to a the U-Service, as they call it. My roommate had some things she had to do so I went with my suitemates, Jenn & Kayla (who are amazing, by the way). The service was so good! The new freshman choir, which is huuuge, did worship. They sounded great and they’ve on had one practice! We also took communion. They used a couple of loaves of bread and glasses of juice. We all got in line and broke a piece of bread and dipped it into the juice. (it nearly made me gag, but I tried to think past that haha) It was a great way to start off the year. Afterward we had a little mixer outside the Student Union. We had pizza and snacks and everyone just kinda hung out and got to know each other.

Today is kind of a free day. I don’t register until tomorrow so I don’t really have much to do. There is a Student Leadership Counsel meeting tonight, but Im not sure if I’ll go. Our floor is meeting at the same time for brownies and Pride and Prejudice, and I don’t really want to miss that. You can join SLC anytime so I might just hold off until next semester. Tomorrow night I have a Rush Party for Omega. Then we have a dorm meeting later that night, and Saturday we’re going to Baby Falls for a picnic lunch and swimming. I met two girls down the hall from me and they’re from Shane Ivy’s church in Raleigh. This Sunday we’re going to carpool to Chattanooga to check out a church there.

Well, I think I’ve written enough for now.