Delight My Soul

Last night I had a very Beloit College minus class day - an ounce of work and hours of play - sunbathing and frisbee playing, swimming with friends, then a summer bike ride home to the sound of Jamie Grace, making dinner, eating outside, then back to campus for further shenanigans.

Today almost all of my fellow seniors are taking in their last first day of school. I sat last night with Betsy in her bed, staying up far too late for her 9am Molecular and Cellular something something Biology class the next day, talking about our lives and our future and all that is so unknown.

It feels strange that they are starting school, but right that I am not. I prayerfully labored over this decision, and I know that God is sovereign. Despite all the stresses, and the heartache I am sure will come to me, I have hope. I know without a doubt that I will miss everyone, but I also know that going to Conesus is the right thing to do.

Yesterday I found out that I had straight As while in Senegal, and that I received 4 units instead of 3. My French major has been completed. I also finalized my internship/special project records, and will be receiving 3 units this semester. By December, I will have 30.5 units, and I only need 31 to graduate; the 0.5 will surely be my thesis, and Betsy and I are already looking to take at least one political science course together, as it's a mutual interest and would be a good way to finish out senior year. High on our list are the US Presidency, Constitutional Law, and US Political Thought. If I do indeed need another religious studies elective, I will also be joining Betsy (and Alissa) in biomedical ethics, with the hopes we can remain friends while taking that class together ;) She tried to tell me I should take chemistry so she could just do my homework for me (she's applied chemistry) but I told her 1) that's dishonest  2) she wouldn't be able to do the labs for me and that's the part I really loathe and 3) I actually did really well at the non-lab parts of chemistry back in high school. She also asked me what she should write her thesis on. How am I supposed to know?

It still hasn't hit me that by Saturday afternoon, I will be in New York, acquiring more experience and resources for my thesis.  I have to yet to solidify my thesis, but by the time I sit down to write it next spring, I will have been working on it for over a year and a half. Part 1 was Evangelical Identity and American Public Life. Part 2 was Evangelical Identity in Dakar, Senegal. Part 3 is Evangelical Identity and Youth Culture. Part 4 is going to be putting all that together. I really want to use my experiences abroad in a meaningful way, but I am not sure I have enough hard hands-on research for that. Maybe I'll just need to go back during winter break ;) (That's a joke. I don't have the cash flow for that one)

Tomorrow, I'll back up Beloit for Waukesha, where I will need to unpack, find winter clothes, re-pack for an undetermined amount of time (#onewayticket), hopefully see my baby sister before she heads to college (OH MY GOODNESS!!!! This I cannot believe!), spend time with my parents, and duck out again Saturday. It's insane, but the comforts of God delight my soul.

In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul. Psalm 94:19