"She's just a smalltown girl, living in a lonely worrrld. She took a midnight train goin' anywhere..." Ok, so I'm definitely not lonely here in my Judson-world, and I've never ridden on a train...but the first part is true! I call the microscopic town of Grove Hill, AL my home. I'm a Freshman here at Judson, majoring in Religious Studies. God has called me to serve Him in the mission field, though He hasn't let me know the "where" part yet. I'm super-ecstatic about becoming a part of the Sisterhood, and I can't wait to let you know all about it! Feel free to add/message me on Facebook if you have any questions!
Just for the record, Judson College is ONE OF A KIND.
<.We’re an all-women’s college. In a man’s world, women should just hush. In a woman’s world, men should just listen. In God’s Word, men and women work together to achieve His will. At Judson, girls learn how to be and become women of God, wherever they are.
Our academic dean and president value the students’opinions. After several years of Spanish classes at MMI, Judson is hiring a Spanish teacher of their own. Rather than just picking the “best” candidate like most institutions would do, several students were asked to sit in on trial classes with the top two candidates. Though the president and dean will of course have the final say, the fact that they are willing to listen to the opinions of the student body speaks volumes.
It’s small! Some people think that they want to be “invisible” when they go to college. But I enjoy speaking to people by name when I walk by them on my way to class. I think it’s cool that all of my professors know my name because of our small student to faculty ratio. I value knowing just about everyone at myschool. It’s not just a sea of women; it’s a close-knit Sisterhood.
Judson cares about the non-Judson! After Invisible Children’s visit last semester to The Core, a passionate group of women began Judson’s chapter of “Schools 4 Schools.” Our goal is to raise money for Awere Secondary School in war-torn Uganda. Another example of caring Judson women can be found in Elizabeth Velasquez, a social work major who is heading a 30-Hour Famine event at Judson! With the soccer team on her heels, Elizabeth is leading the Judson student body to help conquer world hunger!
Traditions are what weave us together. Judson and her traditions are so hard to explain to other people. To me, it is the thing that makes this place so unique. Where else are seniors given special privileges, like walking on the school seal? Where else can you find a student body that sings the blessing every day at 12:05 in the dining hall? At what other school do classes pass these traditions (including fun secret traditions) year after year? There’s no other way to explain except: we do traditions!
One of my favorite things about Judson is the music. Between step sings (another tradition...) and an amazing music department, music is EVERYWHERE!
Every day, I enjoy hearing Dr. Betty’s voicestudents in their private lessons as I walk by on my way to Jewett Hall.
Step sings are a very important part of traditions here at Judson. Songs that are special to Judson girls are passed down from class to class, and are sung only on special occasions, such as step sings and serenades.
I participated in choir last semester, and I loved it so much that I decided to continue my alto career! You can read about my first concert experience here.
Last semester, the student body had the opportunity to hear the internationally acclaimed pianist, Simon Tedeschi, in our very own Alumnae Auditorium. It was a sensational performance!
I can honestly say that I love my school – my home, rather. I am so thankful that God brought me here!
In the past, I've been unsure of how to feel about them. I tend to think that they are a waste... who keeps them anyway? But then again, I think it's important to realize all of the areas of our lives that need improvement. "But none of us are perfect!" people will say. Does that mean that we should just not run the race? Just give up because we're never going to make it?
Christ didn't die so that we could justify our sinful nature with "I'm not perfect!" He bled in order to rectify our position with God, to bridge the chasm that our sinful and imperfect nature created. And now, I've got to testify.
Wednesday was move in day, here at Judson College. I greeted each sister and all of her 5 extra Christmas pounds with a smile, hug, and "Happy New Year!" After carrying all 8 of the boxes, suitcases, and laundry baskets that loaded down my car through the rain, across the parking lot, and down the hall, I was spent. I was more tired at 10:30 pm than I could recall being in quite a while. My roommate went on to bed, while I stayed awake and read another chapter in the best book EVER, "Passion & Purity" by Elisabeth Elliott. With my mind wading deep into the ideas of the book, I flipped out the light, pulled up the covers and set my alarm for 6:00 am, knowing that I probably would not get up until 7:00. Before drifting off to sleep, my heart whispered a prayer to God, that He would wake me up in the morning with enough time to have a quiet time before heading to my 8:00 am class. It was something that I loved, but could never wake myself up for. I knew that it was all on Him.
I open my eyes.It's dark, I think to myself. Is the alarm going off? I don't recognize any noise, so I look over at the blaring red numbers.
5:36, it boasts.
God? You... you woke me up. Oh mannn.... my eyes filled with tears at the realization that God Almighty wanted to spend time with me.
I flipped on my lamp - Whitney stirred in her bed. I reached for my Apologetics Study Bible, and took a moment to contemplate where to read. Genesis, He whispered.
But I've read that so many times, I said. However, His Spirit persisted, compelling me to turn to page 3. I read the first four chapters of His Word, closed my Bible, and expressed a silent shout of gratification.
I can honestly say that I have never felt as close to Him as I did in those 30 minutes.
All day, I was telling people about my dawn with Dios. The peace that He brought me yesterday flooded and overwhelmed my soul so much, that I could not stress, worry, or fret even when unexpected situations arose. He always was in control anyway; I was just finally acknowledging it.
Escaping reality could be the very thing that helps you cope with reality.
And so, we went.
Whitney, my hilarious storyteller of a roommate
Taylor, our comical diva of a suitemate
And me, well... you know me.
We fled the looming week of finals like we had stolen something.
Like the lyrics of one of our current favorite songs, we just kept runningggg from tomorrowwwwwwww.
"To Tuscaloosa, and beyond!" we shouted, as we zoomed off in my snazzy little Blazer.
All owners of lengthy To Do lists, we ignored our responsibilities and raced into horizon.
And I tell ya, it was nice.
The three of us (along with Kaylin, our friend who ended up not coming to Judson) met at SOAR in June, and hit it off big time. We called ourselves "The Box." At first, we all felt awkward, not knowing anyone but our parents. Once the four of us finally connected, we stopped trying to make friends. We stuck together like glue, adamantly refusing to think outside of "The Box."
Cute, right?
But... things have been crazy. Thanks to cadet exes, ridiculous schedules, and an awkward fourth wheel, the three of us have not been as close as we were at the beginning of our journey. After a wake-up call for us all, we decided that differences were just that - differences.
NOT defining characteristics.
And most certainly, NOT a friendship ender.
After hours of shopping, our friendship was remedied.
Praise God, the Sisterhood PREVAILED!
We bought really cute cheap little rings, as our promise rings.
Our promise was that we would do fun stuff at least once a month.
Oh, and that our friendship would dominate over anything that could happen.
All in all, it was quite a delightful experience.
Except for when that guy slammed on his brakes in front of us. Grrrrr.
And everyone is getting in the Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday spirit!
So in honor of Thanksgiving break (HALLELUJAH), I wanted to share a few friendships that I am thankful for this year!
Sally (Mustang Sally, according to Dr. Wilson) has become one of my best friends here at Judson. The first word that comes to mind to describe her is "fearless." Sally will say ANYTHING to ANYONE. She is a beautifully reckless individual. Everyone says we look a lot alike (though I just don't see it), so every now and then we like to confuse innocent people by dialogues like this:
Sally: Hey [insert innocent person's name here], want to come to the study session tonight? Sally and I will be there.
Rivers: Yeah, Rivers and I really need your help learning all 5 billion bird species for Dr. Wilson's class.
[Innocent person stands helplessly confused, while Sally and Rivers walk off laughing hysterically.]
It's quite fun actually! :) and I'm extremely thankful for our friendship!
Whitney is probably the best roommate ever; and I'm thankful for not only a great roommate, but also a great friend. Her favorite color is pink, she can sing like Aretha Franklin, she buys wayyyy too many boxes of cereal, and she loves zebra print. However, those things are not what make her so wonderfully unique. Whitney has a beautiful and tender heart, along with a hysterical humor. With a broken heart on the mend, she has learned to rely on her Father for day to day fulfillment. While girls all over the world feel as though they need a guy to complete them, Whitney has learned that only in Christ is she made complete. She is an example to me, even though we playfully fight like cats and dogs sometimes. I am thankful, because while I call many Judson girls my sisters, Whitney and I are truly sisters. Like I've said recently, "We love each other enough now to act like we hate each other!"
Carli is an amazing individual, and anyone who knows her can testify to that. She's from the small town of Thomasville, the stomping ground of Bethany which is very near my neck of the woods. Her perpetual optimism, her fabulous sense of style, her permanent grin, and her inspirational one-liners are sure to brighten even the darkest nights. Carli is a wonderful girl, with big dreams and an even bigger heart. I can honestly say that I've never met someone like her. She is an absolute blessing to me, and I praise God for our friendship. We've had deep theological discussions, shared confessions of our own weaknesses and past struggles, reviewed dreams of the future with each other, and encouraged one another in sisterly love. She even talked about me in one of her blogs! (Check it out at http://superrare.blogspot.com/.) Without Carli, we would all probably smile a lot less, hug a lot less, and stress a lot more.
Brittany will (more than likely, HOPEFULLY, fingers crossed) be my big sister come January. Though merely one year older than Whitney and I, she's like our mom away from home. Since she's one of the Kirtley RA's, she's never hard to find. It's pretty awesome how she and her amazing roommate Lindy will just allow us to hang out in their room for hours on end... just because we like to be around them. Brittany is a firecracker... never doubt the saying that dynamite comes in small packages! She's always there for Whitney and I, and anyone who needs her. I can't wait to find out if she's going to be my official big sis!
There are so many others that I'm thankful for, but these are just a few that came to mind first.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalm 107:1
