I just wanted to let everyone know that I made it to London.  Some of you know ... some of you don't ... that I was headed there for a missions trip with my church.  Because of the nature of the trip, I can't really go into details about it on the web.  However, I covet your prayers on my behalf.  If you'd like to receive my weekly e-mails, you can e-mail me at faiththomas1@bellsouth.net  I'd be glad to add you to the list. 

Talk to you in 7 weeks!

I GOT ACCEPTED TO NURSING SCHOOL!!!!

I got my letter yesterday ... needless to say I was very excited!  So excited in fact that I burst into tears.  I don't always respond to things that way, but yesterday God just kind of overwhelmed me with His goodness, and I think I felt unworthy.  The other exciting thing is that my friend Kim (not Barney) got accepted as well, which is exactly what we had been hoping for.  

It was actually a very funny situation.  I help care for a boy with special needs on Friday afternoon.  And he has this habit of letting out this incredibly high-pitched, ear-piercing scream whenever he gets excited.  Well, that is fine at home, but when out it public, not everyone is very understanding of that.  So all afternoon, I had been telling him over and over and over, "Clap your hands when you get excited!  We don't want to scream ... clap your hands!  What do you do when you are excited?"  And by the end of the afternoon, he was actually beginning to do both - first scream, then clap - which is definitely a step in the right direction.  So I'm almost ready to go home, and Kim called me to tell me she got accepted and of course, I was excited.  So excited in fact, that I screamed!  Not like his are, but a scream nonetheless.  So of course, he starts screaming.  After I hung up the phone, I just started cracking up because it was so ironic.   The little boy's mom was in the other room, and came out and said, "Now Faith, what do we do when we get excited?  We clap our hands!!"  Then I just laughed even harder.  And of course, he was laughing with us.  It was great. 

In other news ... I am going on a missions trip for the whole summer!  I'm going to London for 10 weeks, helping facilitate a program that is directed by my church.  I can't really say a whole lot about it on the internet, but if you'd like to know more about it you can e-mail me or post a comment, and I'll e-mail you.  The one thing I really need is people to pray.  I have never been more convinced of the importance of prayer.  We are asking each volunteer to get 100 people to pray for them.  So far, I only have 1 officially.  So if you are willing to pray ... let me know!

I have a huge blessing I want to share! :)  I had to take a Chemistry test this past Thursday ... and I passed!  That probably sounds a little silly, but the thing is that it was a miracle.  See, I've been trying to get into the nursing program here, and the last thing I needed to take care of before I apply was this Chemistry credit.  I had already taken 2 Chemistry classes when I went to college before, but there was this huge confusion about it.  The school I'm applying to really messed things up and then noone wanted to help me unscramble the mess, so everyone was passing me around to everyone else.  In the meantime, time was just zipping towards the application date and I still didn't have an answer about the Chemistry ... and it could mean the difference between me being able to apply now or having to wait a whole year to apply again. 

Finally, about 2 weeks ago, I got someone to give me a definite answer.  Come to find out, the last day to accept any more transfer credits was December, so they wouldn't even talk about that.  But they said they would let me take this Chemistry competency exam. (Yeah, thanks for that ... thanks for keeping me hanging for 6 months and then give me 2 weeks to learn a semester's worth of chemistry.  Yeah, I'm sure to do well on that!)  But it was my only chance, so I took it.

But the Lord had it all worked out ... my brother-in-law, who I happen to live next door to, just so happens to be a Chemistry quasi-expert (he teaches AP Chemistry at the high school), and he and I started having some quality time over the Chemistry book!  He is a phenominal teacher, and we worked really hard.  And I prayed a whole lot.  Then I got this horrible cold on Monday, and just felt lousy ... but by Thursday, I was feeling better.

The test went well ... I still didn't have even the slightest clue on some of the questions, but I passed and that is all that matters.  And in the process, God worked yet another miracle on my nursing school journey.  The whole time I was studying, I just kept telling the Lord that if I passed this, I knew it would only be because of Him.  Don't ever believe that God doesn't work miracles today!

I've been tagged ...

Ok ... so I was just informed that I was tagged.  Here are my 5 random facts:

1. I love chewing gum.  But I only chew the green Extra kind and I chew it with half a stick on each side of my mouth. 
2. I love to watch old movies - particularly with Carey Grant or any of the big bands from the 40's.
3. I'm learning to play the mandolin.  My grandfather played it, and I inherited his mandolin. So that makes it even more special.
4. I love to cook for my family.  I love to try new recipes.
5. I once met Mr. Rogers on an airplane.  I was like 6 years old.  And I colored him a picture and gave it to him.  He told me it was nice.  He probably said that to all the kids, though.

I now tag: Sue Kirby, Amber Boyer, Wheaty, and Anna Lofquist.

I have a huge answer to prayer ... my friend, Kim (not Barney ) and I both passed our nurses aid certification (CNA) test this past Saturday!  We were rather nervous because we were "challenging" the test - that means that we took the test before we finished the class.  Basically, we did the classroom part, but not the clinical part.  We were forced to do that because in order to apply to nursing school, we have to have our CNA, and when we both signed up for this course, we were told that it would be okay ... that we would have our certification in time.  Well, the story changed, and we were not going to be able to have it in time if we finished with the rest of our class.  So we decided to challenge the test, but that made us both kind of nervous about whether or not we'd be able to pass.  But we both did.  And I know it was because God was helping us. 

The test is two parts: written and skill. The skill part is where we actually have to perform some of the skills that we have learned in the class.  They randomly pick 5 out of the 20 (or so) skills that we learned.  You have to do it in the right order and not forget any of the steps, with a test instructor watching the whole time, obviously.  For most of the skills, other people that are taking the test act as your "patient." One of the skills that both of us were not real comfortable with is taking blood pressure, so both of us were hoping that we wouldn't get that for our skill list.  Kim was hoping that more than I because we had already decided to be each other's "patient" - and everyone has a horrible time taking my blood pressure because my veins are weird (they also have a hard time finding a vein to take blood or start an IV).  So Kim was really hoping that she wouldn't get it for the test.  Well, she did.  So I'm praying like mad that my pulse will be very strong so that she can hear it right away and not be nervous, etc. 

Well, she took it and then wrote it down on the sheet, but then was fairly sure that the numbers were wrong because it was so high, which of course, made her really unsettled as she continued to do the other stuff on her list of skills.  Well, while she was doing something else, the instructor said to me, "You might want to get your blood pressure checked out because it was really high."  She thought it was probably related to the stress of taking the test, but I knew better ... God had made it really high and strong so that Kim could hear it immediately and be okay.  Of course, when Kim heard that, she was able to calm down and finish well. 

In fact, both of our instructors told us that they had never had a tester get a 100% on their skills test.  Usually, there is a little step that is overlooked, but we got every single step right.  Well, I know why that happened ... it wasn't because we were so great, it was because God was at work.

It was a very encouraging day for me because it was just another confirmation that this is the path God has for me.  I'm having a lot of problems getting my credits to transfer from my other degree to the community college, and things that they said at first, they are going back on and it could mean the difference of being accepted or put off for another year.  That is, of course, rather scary for me because I'm not sure what the next step should be ... if not this, then what?  But the fact that I have done well in my classes and passed this latest step is just confirmation that God is at work ... and a gentle reminder to take it one day at a time.

Needless to say, I would greatly appreciate your prayers this week through the end of the month - for both Kim and I.  This week, especially, for Kim, and the end of the month for me.  We are both applying for nursing school this month and there are lots of details and very little instruction, communication, or help on the part of the colleges.  Please pray that it will all come together and that we won't worry about the outcome.  Neither of us will know whether or not we are accepted until spring break, so pray that we will be at peace until then. We are also hoping to get into the same program just because it would be incredible to be able to do it together.  (I know, I know ... I don't want much, do I? )

The words to a song I've listened to a lot recently come to mind ... "When I reach the end, You are just beginning.  In You alone, I find all that I need."  It is true ... please pray that it will show in my life.