Me? Have Control? HA! Not Anymore!

     Have you ever thought you had your life figured out?  You knew exactly what you were going to do and how you were going to do it. Yeah,  I was on the same boat.  Was. A few months ago I had chosen to attend SDSU. I had new student orientation date planned, and I had met my roommate over email. She and I were planning what to bring for our room. We were having a great time. I was pretty excited for everything that was about to unfold.

    And then...
    I go to Summit Ministries in Manitou, Colorado, and my Whole. World. Changed.

    My two week experience at Summit was far beyond my expectations. Before, I was biting my nails and dreading the idea of being somewhere in the mountains doing nothing but classroom time.  After, I could not get enough wisdom from all of the knowledge those speakers had to share, and I did not want to leave. We went over things like homosexuality and heard from a man who had actually been a homosexual, had realized his mistake and came to the Lord. He's know married to a wonderful woman and has a couple kids! It was awesome! I cried. There was also a man who had once been a Muslim and also came to know Christ. They were both full of so much knowledge on their topics because they had lived those same topics! They gave us wisdom on how to address people with those beliefs. Summit was an eye opening experience. I can't wait to take all of this information with me out into the real world.
     I would love to go on and on and on about Summit and everything I learned, but that's not what my title is addressing, so I better get off the rabbit trail and back on to the topic at hand. ANYWAY...close to the end of Summit this average looking guy named AJ comes on to the platform to speak, and he is excited! He has so much energy! Well maybe it seemed that way since most of the students were exhausted. No, he actually just had an overload of enthusiasm. So he walks up and starts talking about the importance of learning not just to get the grade, but to LEARN it! Ok this guy is speaking my language, and he's starting to remind me of my mom. :) He's saying that we shouldn't just know about the "here and now", but also the story behind it. Why is it the way it is? Who influenced the path it took? Then he drops the bomb. There's a school that teaches exactly that, and it's name is Rivendell Sanctuary.
     I was completely entranced. My eyes were fixed on AJ as he told us all about this wonderful school.  My mind was racing. I was telling myself, "This is EXACTLY what you have been looking for!!" But my mind was also saying, "Too bad it's too late. You're already going to SDSU. Plus it's almost June; there's no way you could get in this fall." Try to picture the mental battle I was going through. It was brutal. I really wanted to at least say that Rivendell was an option for me, but I felt as if I had already lost. As I walked out of class both excited and depressed by the news, something told me to go to AJ, to his stand, and talk to him...even if it seemed I wasn't going to have a chance. I almost ignored that voice because the logic didn't match with my own. "It's a ridiculous idea. You're not even smart enough to handle a school with that much drive and determination. You've already got a school; just stick with it and save yourself the work." 
    I was torn. But the voice that seemed illogical won over me. I went to the stand and talked to AJ. It was amazing!! He had so much to say, and the more he talked about Rivendell the more I knew I must go to this school. He was so friendly and inviting. He did his job really well. I was sold. I knew it seemed crazy and my chances were slim; but I saw a window of opportunity that I just couldn't pass up.  On impulse, I gave him my phone number and email, and he gave me the promise that he, personally, would call me within the week. My head was spinning. What was I doing? This was insane! I wanted to change my school. In June. Without visiting Rivendell. Without researching Rivendell. And with no knowledge of where it was even located. I was willing to go across the country to attend this school. That's how badly I wanted it. This goes against everything that I have strongly believed when it comes to finding a school. I prefer order and knowing where my next destination is. I like control. All of a sudden I was giving it all up. That is not normal for me. Something was different. I could tell I was definitely being led by God. There's no other explanation that makes sense. I would never even think along the lines that I did that day. It was a strange feeling filled with excitement and curiosity. God truly works in a mysterious and wonderful way.