9-27-09

I can't believe that next week, I'll have been here at Summit for a month! Time is going by very quickly...it's almost unbelievable!

This week's classes were amazing. In Christianity and Politics we continued discussing different aspects of abortion, but then on Thursday, we moved on a discussion of the civil rights movement and discrimination. That was very interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I'm also really enjoying history of Christian thought class...we've been discussing spiritual gifts and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Each lecture here is so thought provoking and I come away with so much to ponder! The other night, I brought a question up in class and I wanted Doctor Bauman to give me his answer and he said, "Mae...do you want to be educated or indoctrinated? Do you want to be told what to think, or do you want to learn to think?" I told him that I wanted to be educated - and learn how to think, so he said..."well, study and form an opinion on this matter and we'll discuss it when I come back." I've been studying the spiritual gift of prophecy and am looking forward to discussing it with him when he returns in a week!

Besides for the thoughtful time in class, I've been spending a lot of time on my own reading and working on homework. Right now, we are in the middle of 10 different books! It's crazy and overwhelming at times, but so worth while! In my "free time" I'm enjoying getting to know the people here better and spending time with each of them!

This week we have a guest speaker, so I'm looking forward to this week of classes as well!

Thank you for all the mail that you've sent me - I'm really enjoying hearing from everyone!

I'm thankful for each of you!
Love,
Mae

It's Monday...

I'm posting today (Monday)...because we got to come into town for some internet use on our day off! Yesterday, I enjoyed church in the morning...and then I was able to talk to my family on the internet. It was great to see all of their faces, and hear what each one of them is doing back in Santa Rosa!

Time is starting to fly here at Summit, and I truly am enjoying it just as much as I did when I first arrived. Class time is my favorite, and now I am no longer afraid of Dr. Bauman calling on me in class!

Christianity and politics is still my favorite subject, (even though I love them all...) and this week we discussed terrorism and abortion in detail. What interesting and thoughtful discussions we had in class! It was wonderful!

I am learning so much and enjoying the atmosphere...and I've even come to enjoy NOT having internet during the week! :)

Today, is our day off, so we went on a hike in the National Forest this morning. It was supposed to be a 2 mile round trip hike, but my group got lost and ended up hiking 6 miles total! Needless to say, my legs are very sore right now! It was still fun, and we enjoyed laughing a lot together.

I'm looking forward to another great week of classes and am so thankful that I'm here this semester.

Thank you for your prayers!

Completion of Week #1!

Hi to all!!

Well, I completed my first week of classes and absolutely enjoyed every minute of it!

Even in just in 5 days of classes, I've been presented with so many ideas to ponder.
It has been challenging, but so worth it! Right now, we're reading 7 books - all at the same time! It's a little overwhelming, but the quality of literature is fantastic and well worth the little bit of stress. :)

Right now we have 5 classes. They are: Christianity and Politics, History of Christian Thought, English Literature, Art and Theology, and Old & New Testament Biblical Survey.

I'd have to say that Christianity and Politics is my favorite, as of now!
But each and every class is challenging and thought provoking. I'm really loving it.

One thing I'm pondering today is the question: What is Art? and...what is its purpose?
We are having a "debate" in art class on Tuesday and each of the students has to come up with answers to both of those questions. It'll be interesting to see each persons definition of what art is! I still haven't come up with mine yet...I'll let you know next week what I came up with!

Right now, I'm on "skype" with my family, so it's been fun to see their faces and chat with them a little bit! I do miss them, and everyone from home...but I'm so glad to be here. This is such a great opportunity and I'm thankful for the time I have here!

Tomorrow, we're taking a field trip to the Colorado sand dunes, & to Walmart, so that'll be fun!(We don't have school on Monday's...because we do have school on Saturday's.)

I must say though that it's very freeing not to have internet during the week! It takes away a lot of distractions...and I'm enjoying that aspect of it too!

Well, we're heading back to Snow Wolf Lodge now, so I'll talk to you all next week!

With love,
Mae

Hello from Pagosa Springs, Colorado!

Dear Precious Family and Friends,

Here I am...in a Pagosa Springs coffee shop, using the internet! It's quite lovely here...and this coffee shop is now one of my favorites! It looks out to a beautiful river with a scenic backdrop of the Colorado mountains.

First, let me thank you for your prayers this past week as we traveled. We were in the car for roughly 1,800 miles on the way here! Our trip was full of fun and memorable experiences seeing parts of this beautiful country that we'd never seen before. It was definitely something that I'll never forget. Here is a picture of our family at Bryce National Park. (minus Drew...we missed him a lot!)

We left home last Sunday, and I checked into Summit on Friday. It was great to have my family with me to help me settle into my new room. The only disadvantage about driving was that I brought SO much stuff! Here is a picture with my roommate, Hope, before I started unpacking...

Friday was a day of unpacking and meeting the staff and students.
Saturday was more of an orientation day where we were given a tour of the facility, spent time with the students and learned about all that this semester holds for us!

Sunday, (today), we went to the church that we'll be attending all semester. The people were all so friendly, and Summit really does have a reputation in this little town! I'm excited to be apart of the 4th class of Summit Semester. After church, I said goodbye to my family, which was hard...but I know, that this is where God wants me to be this semester. I know I'll be challenged in many areas of my life, and I'm ready to begin classes tomorrow! :)

Just to give you an idea of where I'm living, here are a few pictures of my dorm room!

(my bed... ;)

(my desk...and you can't really see, because it was dark, but I have the most gorgeous view of the mountains out my window! It's the perfect place to study!)

I really do love it here. I love the the students, the staff, the location, the food...just everything!

I hope this gives you a little inside scoop on my life here at Summit. I'll continue to post pictures and updates on Sundays when we get to go to "town!"

Oh...and I do have cell phone service in my room, so please feel free to call and leave messages and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. I'd love to chat with you sometime... :)

Or if you don't want to call - I'd love to receive mail...I check the mail basket multiple times per day...so feel free to send me letters! ;) (you can find my address in the post below)

Please pray that I would continue to get to know my fellow 27 students, and that I would be encouraged as classes start this week! Pray also that my family will have a safe trip home over the next few days.

With Love,

Mae