It's Been A While!

Hello Everyone!!!

First of all! I'm so sorry it has been so long! It's been pretty crazy busy here.

Well, this first term is almost over! It's amazing and crazy all at the same time! It's been such a roller-coaster ride! I don't even know the exact words to describe it all. Wonderful. Crazy. Amazing. Informational. Emotional. Scary. And so many other things...

We have final exams next week and  then we leave for a trip to Paducah, Kentucky next Thursday. It's all going very quickly! We have a lot of homework right now so that's always wonderful!

I have been getting to know my classmates better and better each day! I feel like I've know some of them forever! It's amazing! I know some of these friendships will last a lifetime! I love it!

Well, I have to get some work done! Sorry this ones short! I will probably write after finals or Paducah!

Have a wonderful blessed week!

Emily Rose

Mountain View!

Hello Everyone! 






I'm just going to get started. We (the AIM class and some of the AIM staff) went to Mountain View Camp this past week. It is a beautiful camp in the mountains in New Mexico. We had such a wonderful time!

Tuesday morning, September 6, we loaded up the "Ebenezer" the bus...you will hear more about her later, and a 15 passenger van and headed out on our 5 or 6 hour drive. We left Lubbock! We didn't take phones or computers or any electronics with us! It was such a nice retreat from everything that is so distracting!

Well, our bus ride was super fun! We did all kinds of things. We took LOTS of pictures and were big goofballs like we always are. We stopped in Roswell, New Mexico (where the aliens are) and ate lunch. I got to know some of my classmates SOOO much better! It was so fun!

We finally arrived at Mountain View and unloaded and did all off that beginning stuff. During the time that we were there, from Tuesday to Friday, we did so many things! It was so eventful. There was a lot of volleyball and throwing a football and basketball and a game of soccer and ultimate frisbee. There was A LOT of singing and playing instruments. There was an afternoon that they took us to Ruidoso, New Mexico to shop and look around! That was so fun! There was an afternoon where they took us up into the mountains to hike around. That was also super fun! We had LOTS of yummy food! Our AC/DC got to help cook breakfast one morning which was very interesting and funny! There might have been an accident with the eggs or something like that but I don't really remember :)

Jeff Dunn came to teach us our classes all weekend. He was amazing! It was so encouraging! Some of the guy assistants gave us devotionals each day. We had singing around the campfire at night. It was just a spiritually uplifting weekend in so many ways!

I feel so honored to be a part of this AIM class. Each day I feel more and more like God has put me exactly where I am supposed to be right now. It's hard to even describe. I am so blessed to have made these friends that I have that will last forever! There are some amazing people in my class and on this staff who I love so much!

When we got back last night, I went with some of the ex-AIMers and some of the AIMers to Los Tacos. It's a restaurant. I got to have Lengua (tongue) tacos and they have real imported cokes from mexico! It was so yummy! Then we went to Sheridan's. It's a frozen custard place. I didn't have anything but it was so great to get to hang out with my friends.

I also texted my sister and a couple of my friends from home and really really really enjoyed that! I miss them all so much!

Well, I hope you all have a fantastic week! I love you all!

Emily Rose

1 Month...

So...I have been in Lubbock for 4 weeks! It's so hard to believe! I have come a long way in these past 4 weeks. I started out wanting to quit and go "home" in my first week. Then I started making friends (some of the best ever) and got settled into classes and the routine, if you can call it that, of AIM. Now, after 4 weeks I am LOVING it here so much! I have wonderful roommates and amazing classmates! I have the best of the best teachers I could ask for! I have met some of the other men who will be teaching us in the coming terms and they seem like they will live up to the teachers we have now, quite well! I love my area church and the group I go with! We started small groups, which I will tell you more about in a minute. I just can't believe how blessed I am to be here. God has put me exactly where I need to be! Now, we are done with mid-terms and we have a break week! 

So....small groups! We were assigned to our small groups this week! It is a group of about 5 AIMers of the same gender and 1 or 2 AIM assistants of the same gender. My assistant is Diana and the girls in my group are Kaylin, Karla, Kristyn, Clarice and Me! It is such a wonderful group! We all got in the car to meet Diana at the coffee shop and we realized that none of us have really gotten to hang out very much! We are so excited to be together and we had an awesome first meeting getting to know one another! We get to stay in this group the whole time we are in AIM from what I understand! I am so excited because pretty much all of our other groups change when we form teams for the mission field. I am excited to have a group of a few of us to just catch up with each other this week and keep each other accountable for things!
Well, thats's really about all for now! We have a long weekend this weekend and so we have Monday off and then on Tuesday the AIMers are leaving for Mountain View. It is a camp in New Mexico and we are just going for a retreat! We will be there from Tuesday until Friday! We are so excited to have this week! It is going to be so great to just get to hang out with each other outside of class and homework and such! It will also be wonderful to be in 70 degree weather in the day and 50 degree weather at night! WOO HOO!
Well, I hope you all have a blessed week!
Thank you for the support! I am so blessed! God has done some amazing things in me since I have been here and I am so amazed! He keeps me on my toes for sure!
Love you! Emily Rose