It's Been Way Toooooooo Long!!!!

Wow. It has been a realllllllyyyyy long time since I've posted. And to be honest, I don't think this post will be very good quality because I'm just writing it off the top of my head (and there isn't much there, you know).

So I'll give you a very brief (as well as inadequate) update from the last time I posted. I got back home July 13th from my nearly ten-month stay in East Timor. It was good to be with family again. Not much had changed. It felt kind of like I had just left them the way they were and then I picked up where I left off. I also wasn't sure how the transition would be for me coming back to the U. S. But it actually didn't feel like there was much of a transition. Maybe the time in Singapore and Korea helped.

I was able to see my newest nephew, Gabriel Jacob Arceo, finally! My sister Caitlin flew from BC, Canada to visit. I was also able to see my cousin Roxanne earlier in the summer. She came all the way from Australia. It was good to see her again.

Let's see here. I did a bit of shopping for things for ARISE. I also did a bit of driving and was able to get my license. *Whew!

When August 22 rolled around, I flew up to Fountainview with my little sister just to visit. It was very nice to see some old friends and to meet the new students. Making the connection with the girls there was very good, especially since I'll be their new dean in January! After Fountainview, I swung by Kelowna, BC to visit a dear friend of mine, Val Jacobson.  (Check out her blog at www.valeriejacobson.blogspot.com.) We spent the weekend together, which was quite nice since we hadn't seen each other since we graduated. However, I was getting over being sick so I had lost my voice and paired with the fact that I was feeling shy, I didn't talk much while I was there.

Now, to bring you all up to the present. Early Monday morning, on September 3, Val and I flew from Kelowna to Eugene, Oregon. We're both attending the ARISE Bible college, located in Jasper, Oregon. It's been pretty amazing so far. I also was pleasantly surprised with how many people I knew ended out coming to the program. And if I didn't already know them, turns out they used to babysit my old pastor's triplets or they canvassed with my classmate's cousin (the SDA world is so small).

The program is kind of a paradox. It's intense, yet also somewhat chill. We go on outreach twice a week (Thursday and Sunday). We have roughly six hours of class Monday through Thursday. During the week, we provide our own suppers. On weekends, we're responsible for all our meals.

The local church (we attend the one in Springfield) has been very kind and friendly.

Oh, as far as testimonies go, I had a neat experience with my outreach partner. It was our last door and the lady we met was very nice. We did the survey, asking all the questions, and in the process found out that she used to be and Adventist but had left the church (it sounded like) due to people issues. When we explained that we were Adventist, she asked where we were going to church and when the services were. She told us that she had been trying to find a group of Sabbath keepers to worship with and that she would come to church that week. Wonder of wonders, she did! I sat next to her and found out she's quite the spunky, old gal! I kinda hope I have that spark still when I'm her age.

Oh, more about the program. We have rotation duties (nice euphemism for chores) that change every week. For the past two weeks my group (unofficially known as The Mighty Men!...And Some Girls) has had chores that tend to keep us up late. But I'm very happy because this week we're on call, which basically means we get to work very hard at doing nothing (we just have to be available to help with whatever).

The interns here have a program going on Sundays called "Food, Not Bombs." It's an outreach for homeless people that provides meals. I've been on it a couple of times and really enjoyed it. These are just a couple pictures from it. Actually, they serve the food and give out literature at a park area. But since I was just standing around, one of the interns asked if I wanted to walk around and take pictures, which is how I got these shots. I'm sorry. They're not very good shots. I've been so bad with taking pictures lately. I've been feeling like I'm almost like I'm in an identity crises when it comes to my hobbies, but that's another story.

But to get to the point, my friend Bryant and I walked around the streets of Eugene, him asking people if I could take their pictures (yay for street photography!). When I had finished getting the shots I wanted, Bryant would give them a glow. It was pretty fun. I just wish I knew more about lighting so I could get better shots. :(

This guy actually gave us his "Beanitos," which were not very tasty according to Bryant.

Anyway, it's getting late...well, not really. I mean it kind of is. It's 9:30ish. The problem is that my body has gotten used to going to bed late, so now I'm not as tired as I want to be at this time. *Sigh.

So, signing off for now. I wish I had a fancier way of ending this. Ho hum. Oh, well. Such is life.