Missing Northwestern

Tomorrow is the big day. The day I go to a different school. I have very mixed feelings about it, and am not quite sure how I am feeling. The other day, my lovely friend Laura brought me to MSUM and showed me around. As we arrived on campus I had an assortment of feelings; excitement, reality, scared, nervous, etc., but it made everything seem real. Now I tried not to compare MSUM to Northwestern, because honestly, no school will be able to replace NWC, but I still found myself noticing the differences. The first thing I noticed was the lack of an outdoors feel to it-not a ton of grass, trees, and no Lake Johanna. Another thing I noticed was there were a lot more buildings on campus. At the same time, I started to like it-I could see myself walking around campus and hanging with friends, but still felt the feeling of having to get use to the campus and everything else.

This whole transition has been a HUGE journey with many ups and downs. I had so much support from my friends, and most importantly, strength from God. It has been a very emotional 3 months, and the emotions are starting to die down, but I still feel sad about the whole situation.  I woke up this morning and got ready for church, then I had some free time. I decided to go check Facebook, and I saw a whole lot of statuses from all my Northwestern friends saying how they were heading back to school. It was hard to see that knowing I was not going back with them, but I have been trying to get my mind off of it. Earlier this afternoon, I started talking to one of my roommates, and it really hit me hard. I wasn't going back to our room. I was going to be able to give her a big hug. We weren't going to get ice cream in the Eagle's Nest together.

Right now, I am missing Northwestern a lot. I have been blessed so much since being in Fargo, but it is still hard to be away from my other home. I know this semester is going to take some time to get use to my new school, new classmates, old classmates, and good friends, but I have a feeling it will be a good one. Letting go of my plans and dreams and surrendering them to God has been tough, but He has this all planned out. For some reason, He has me here. Although I may not know why, I know it's something great. Not only is this a start of a new adventure at a new school, it is the start of a deeper relationship with God.

Dear Lord,
This semester is Yours. Bless me as I walk onto campus, meet new people, and share Your         love. Help me to continue to surrender everything to you and that I will follow You wherever You may lead me.  Please strengthen my faith and relationship with You and use me for Your glory. Lord, I am Yours. I am Your daughter, child, servant, but most importantly, Your salt and light of the world.

Love,
     Heather