An update especially for The Amazing Danae King

This goes out to Danae King's request that I keep my blog updated. Sorry, I'm not as good at keeping it up like you.

I've been at my new place for about a month now and am truly enjoying the southeastern part of Pennsylvania! My living arrangements are amazing and I enjoy hearing the footsteps and cheers of the kids upstairs. A few weeks ago I awoke to the sound of my electric piano playing and opened my door to find one of the boys who had snuck downstairs playing a "melody" on the piano. A different day I came home late in the evening to find my bag of runts on the back of the toilet...not the most ideal place, but I sure did get a good laugh.

I'm spending my working time at R & J Farm Market where I weed, pick tomatoes, beans, peas, zucchini, earlier in the season strawberries, plant fields of pumpkins (with this awesome contraption that is pulled by a tractor, I wouldn't be able to explain it if I tried, but basically I sit on this thing as we go up and down the rows). I'm also in the store at times or out at the wagon. My farmers tan is looking great and rarely do I leave work without a several great laughs.

My next door neighbors have a pool that I am free to use whenever I wish, that has been a great way to cool off after a day in the sun. I also have discovered how wonderful and relaxing swim by oneself can be!

The Martin's have me over for dinner almost every evening so I get wonderful food and many laughs with them! After dinner Nathaniel and I hang out, play games, read, and have oodles of hysterically fun times.

Thursday Nathaniel took me to my first MLB game! This was so much fun and I am super excited to go to more games! Of course it was a Phillies game which made it really exciting to see the players that I've watched on TV for the last season and a half in real life. The game was at home VS Cincinnati and was a 1:00 game. It was uber hot with very few clouds to cool us off. Well, up until the 8th inning that was true. At the 8th inning a big storm cloud billowed in and we were all told to take cover under the stands. Everyone became a little more than damp because of the wind blowing the rain. We even witnessed a tent being blown down to our level from a deck up. Looking out across Citizens Bank Park we could not even see the other side, instead while billows of rain blew all around while the grounds crew stood on the field trying to keep it as covered as possible. When the rain died down a bit we left since the game was already 12:2 we knew it as a win and it was safe to leave even. After a 1.5 hour delay the game was started up again and we listened to the rest on the car radio while wrestling with Philadelphia traffic.

Nathaniel, his family, and most of the young adults from church have headed to Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp for a week to help with repairs and such around camp. The few of us who remain are having a great time getting together even if so many of our ranks are missing.

Danae King is amazing and I hope that this update exceeds her expectations. Missing Camp Luz and hoping all is shaken up and on fire for God.

~Brooke

Graduation and moving

Graduation was May 9. My parents, Nathaniel, and Nicole all came for my graduation. It was a good time seeing them and spending a few more nights with my Hesston friends. Strange to think that my late night Drubers and Newels runs are finished and that my friends are no longer at the college we all met at and reeked havoc on with our movie marathons, weekend trip to lake Wilson, and roof climbing, and numerous other adventures.

On the way back from Kansas we stopped in Iowa for a day to see family. It was wonderful to spend some time with them laughing and carrying on like we always do. Shannon has had her baby since then so now Scotty and her have a young baby girl to care for. I wonder when I will get to meet her?

I spent a few weeks at home and then moved out here to Telford, PA. I enjoy that I am within walking distance from church and am hoping for many good weathered Sunday mornings so that I will indeed partake in a walk. I'm living in the basement of a family from church and babysitting once a week for them. While I haven't gotten to babysit just yet, I am quite excited to get started. There are three children 2 boys Bryce, Brandt, and one girl names Brooklyn (of whose name I must say is quite wonderful).

For the summer I'm working at a produce farm in the store, the wagon, and picking. My employers are great people to work for and I often wont go home without a nice laugh or two.

Nathaniel and I are both happy to no longer be living 1,188 miles apart. Being able to see each other and spend time together each day has been well enjoyed by both of us. He has another church softball game this evening that I am looking forward to watching, maybe one of these games it'll be cold enough for me to take my snuggy he got me as a gag gift at Christmas.

I really ought to stop procrastinating from cleaning up my place,besides not much else to say right now. I'm just glad to be moved out here and am working on adjusting to new surroundings and roads.

Oregon

Bel Canto arrived back on campus late last evening (March 1) after our tour in Oregon. That state is B-E-A-utiful! Right now the trees are blossoming revealing there breathtaking light pinks and whites, the grass is a vibrant green, the mountains were snowy, and the Pacific was obviously right there too!

We left Wednesday evening performed three 2-a-day concerts and took Saturday off to sight see along the coast and eat a Mo's (a famous restaurant out there with yummy seafood). Getting to sing in all of these different churches/schools was an awesome experience. Tiring, yet quite rewarding.

My hosts were great! The first night we arrived at our hotel around 12 (3am back at college) and being tired from all the flying were eager for beds. The man inside took 10 minutes to come to the door and another 20 minutes to hand out the keys that were ready for us. The 8:00 meeting that Thursday morning came too early for us all. The rest of the evenings we were with hosts.

Tuesday March 23 was Hesston's music department concert. This marked the end of Bel as it is time for European Chorale to meet. Since I am not going to Europe this summer, I am done. Well, mostly done, Monday and Tuesday we will have our last 2 recording sessions for our CD and sometime in April Bel will go to Bethel College for perform for one of their Chapels. I miss meeting everyday and singing with this group, it has been an awesome experience, and being able to hear my own vocal growth throughout this semester has been a wonderfully encouraging thing for me.

Amen [Let it Be So]

My Lord my Savior my God

Save me from my ways

Convict me when I need convicted

Let me know what it means to know You

Let me follow in your footsteps

Keep me from straying

Teach me your ways

 Save me from my numbness

Convict me with the Holy Spirit

Frustrate me until I change

For you are the only thing that should matter

Why do I doubt You?

Why do I not continuously praise You

Let me change

Let me live in your way

May my actions reflect You and only You

May people see You when they see me and not evil within me

May perverse things not come out of me

May Your Glory be revealed in my every step

Where would I be without you

I’ve had glimpses of that way and God I don’t want that

Charge me anew

Let me glorify you

May I not become so comfortable with my falseness that I accept my perverse ways as how I am designed to be

God afflict me until I understand

Frustrate me until I grasp my mistakes

Charge me until I meet Your request

Challenge me to uphold Your truth

Surround me with accountability even when it hurts

Lord show me You

Hesston Mennonite Sermons

Back in December the campus pastor here asked me if I was interested in helping with some sermons at Hesston Mennonite after Christmas up to Lent. I agreed and my what a time it has been; we are studying Genesis.  5 of us (the lead pastor, 2 church members, and 2 Hesston College Students) are helping with this and are having such engaging conversation and study. 2-3 people meet each week discuss ask questions and meet again Sunday morning with a final rough outline for the sermon. The congregation has been responding each week with e-mails and verbal questions and comments about our discussions. We are not pretending to have the answers to everything, but our discussions seem to be prompting discussion within the congregation. Tomorrow I will be helping with the fall story, from our discussions we have too much to continue asking and discussing, it'll be interesting and exciting to see where we go and what makes it into the outline and out to the congregation.

Soprano Surprise

I made Bel Canto! For those of you who do not know what Bel is I should say that it is the choir at Hesston that one has to audition to get into.

It happened pretty quickly; Thursday night I checked my e-mail around midnight and read an e-mail that said there was going to be 1 or 2 openings in Bel this coming semester and that auditions were Friday between 11:30 and 12. I figured I did not have much to lose and auditioned. Around 4:20 that day 10 minutes before I was leaving for work Anna congratulated me. I asked her for what and she said that I made Bel and should check my e-mail.

This is a big deal for me because I have never really thought that I had a singing voice. I had a good friend tell me when I was young that I could not sing. College here in Hesston is that first time that I sang in a chorale. I am happily surprised that I made it into this 20 member group that one has to audition for!

This opportunity is exciting and I am very much looking forward to my time in the group.

Thanksgiving weekend at Hesston

I am grateful that I was able to see both Nathaniel and my parents during this weekend. Nathaniel drove out here which is 25 hour drive when 3 hours are added for sleeping time. He got here Tuesday evening while I was at work. My parents arrived Thursday afternoon they had gone to see Caleb and the other Gugel's in Iowa before they came down.

As seems to be a pattern we played lots of Apple's to Apples. Bill sent out some of his smoked pork with Nathaniel and we enjoyed that with the cookies sent out for me with my parents. The 4 of us went to see my cousin Mark on Friday in Hutch, we went out to Chili's and then back to the VS house he lives to continue talking and catching up for a while. After the fun there we headed to see "The Blind Side" which was a great movie that all four of us enjoyed.

Now I am turning back to my school work for 2 more weeks, a few days of exams, and then Christmas break!