11/20/2008

There is so much to share that I really don't know where to start. So I guess I will start with today.
I ended up in the ER two nights ago due to severe eye pain. Turns out I have an ulcer on my right eye and it is inflamed internally as well. This is most unexpected and certainly not conducive to functional life. However, I do know that I have been really tired from all that I have had on my plate this past year, and as He always does, He is providing a way for me to stop for a couple of days to have some forced rest. Being in pain is not necessarily restful, but not being able to drive or go anywhere, demands that I sit still and, for today, rest in His arms.

I know everyone I have been talking to lately has been agreeing that this year has FLOWN by! I can't believe it is Thanksgiving next week. Although when I think back over all that I have done this year, I understand why it has gone so fast. I have been attending Glendale Community College (GCC) since the Spring semester of 2007. I started with one class to see if I could really do this. I found out that I can and I am loving it! Knowing that I do have what it takes to be in school, I am on my way to earning a degree in Social Work.
I jumped in feet first, with the goal of finding as much scholarship opportunity as possible. As I began searching for scholarships, I kept coming up empty handed. Here is how that search is going now: For the Spring semester of 2008, I took on four classes. Yes, I was insane, but I did it, and my family survived it. One of the classes I took involved a Spring Break trip to San Diego to do a service work project. ~ Some of you will know that this is when I went to work with StandUp for Kids, working with the homeless street youth. God melted my heart and captured me in the quest of serving these kids who have very few who stand in the gap for them. God is pulling me deeper and deeper into the world of these kids, and breaking my heart for them. ~ So, because I participated in this project, I have earned $2300 in scholarship awards through Americorp. Wow! This should cover most of the next three semesters of school that it will take for me to complete my AA at GCC.
During my current school career, I have been accepted into the Honors program which is bringing on many important opportunities for me. I attended two conferences in the spring and during one of these, I heard about an opportunity to participate in an amazing trip to Washington D.C. coming up this January. (More to come on this.) I have been able to develop a relationship with the Honor's director, who has been unbelievably supportive and constantly offering amazing opportunities to earn scholarships, participate in special events and is encouraging me to pursue the chance to receive even more financial awards for when I transfer to ASU West. All I can say is, I could never have found all of this on my own. God continually drops these things in my lap and I keep stepping forward.
I have become very aware of the amazing way that God is guiding me on this journey. This semester, I am taking my first Social Work class. As a part of this course, I have had to choose a field of practice to focus on. I have found myself being very drawn to policy and planning. This is really a very funny turn for me. Politics have never been a very big interest of mine. I am too artsy! Well, this is where my heart is being drawn, which only confirms that this is what God is calling me to.
So this brings me to the trip I mentioned several chapters ago. I have been chosen by GCC to attend a conference in Washington D.C. January 10 - 21, 2009! I will be attending multiple events ranging from forums with the media discussing how the media influenced the elections, how the candidate that won used the media to their advantage, what the candidate that lost did that hurt him, etc., to visiting embassies, tours of the capital, and hopefully a tour of the White House. I will also be attending the Inauguration, and with any luck, I will be attending an inaugural ball! I feel like Cinderella!! Another component to this trip is that it is being set up as a class through GCC for which I will receive three credit hours, and the class will focus on policy writing. Is that not an obvious God thing?!
So this novel is the beginning of a travel logue for my journey to Washington D.C. and beyond! If you are interested in keeping track of my journey, please check in from time to time. I will be trying to keep updates regularly especially while I am gone. To all who know me well, you know what it has taken to get to this place. You also have been a very important part of this journey. Without the incredible support from all of my friends and especially my loving husband and kids, I would not be at this juncture. I am honored and unspeakably grateful to you all!!!

I am looking forward to what lies ahead and to what our amazing Father has in store for me as I travel with Him. I am glad you are a part of it too!!

~Angie