I transferred to UW River Falls this semester, and I really didn't know anyone. I was all alone in a state that felt a million miles from everything comfortable. But God reigns. He took me under His wing and brought me closer to Him. He gave me a sincere desire to love Him more than anything else.
After a few weeks (three to be exact) of being in an unfamiliar place with only acquaintances save one (my good friend, Sam), I got sick with the flu. Lovely, right? Actually it was. The week that followed was hard, but every morning, I began to rely more and more on Christ. I went home the next weekend to be with my family over Valentine's Day and my mommy's birthday, and was able to spend time with my girls at NWC. It was simply fantastic.
That Sunday, I received a text from my friend, Jayme. She asked me about housing for next year. Now I had been mulling over this for a while. Without any friends to live with, I was at a loss. But Jayme said that she and her friend, Bre, were looking into apartments and needed a third roommate. This was an incredibly huge blessing to me. It seemed to simply come down from heaven when I was struggling with where I was at. I told her that I would love to live with them, and that began our search for an apartment.
On Monday we started, and by Tuesday afternoon, we signed a lease for a gorgeous apartment. Bre, Jayme, Katelyn, and I were beginning our adventure as adults. Nothing could be more exciting. Except for the fact that I had finally found friends. God had blessed me with these amazing women, not only to be my roommates, but also women who love me.
The rest of that week was great. I was able to spend time with the girls, eating, drinking coffee, laughing, and just getting to know each other. I was excited to finally have a variety of people to be with, and the best thing about it is that they are women of God. They love Him first and foremost, and I couldn't ask for anything better.
This weekend, we were able to hang out as well, spending much time talking late into the night. It was excellent.
Sunday, though, came with a twist. I didn't feel real well all day, and as Jayme, Bre, Jenny, and I were heading out to church at five, I started having pretty intense pain in my kidney. Being silly me, I was trying to play it off and get over it. But I couldn't, and we ended up stopping at the ER, the only thing open on a Sunday. The girls were happy to be my rescuers, loving me all the way in the door. I was admitted and even after I told the girls they could go to church if they wanted to, they stayed. They wanted to make sure I was okay. Each girl had alerted many people to be praying for me, and those prayers are what got me where I am now.
The doctors discovered I had a kidney stone. They gave me morphine and some other fun drugs, reminding me not to drive while on narcotics. After about four hours in the Hudson Hospital, I was discharged. Mom and Dad came and picked me up, and after a short stop at my dorm, we headed home.
The pain was then so intense I could not hold food. I ended up in the ER in Mercy Hospital, the same hospital in which I was born. I was admitted and kept overnight. The pain was incredible, and without the morphine and tordal, I don't think I would have survived. The nurses and doctors that helped me were amazing, helping me get through all the crap that was being thrown at me. Basically, it was a big adventure with a lot of wonderful people around me.
Over the past two days, God has shown me that He will never leave me. He gave me wonderful friends, who I consider the heroes of my night, amazing medical help, and fantastic parents, as well as all the people who were on the outskirts of the night, praying for my recovery. I passed the stone on my own and did not have to have surgery. After Sunday night, I did not have any pain. I was able to sleep a lot, catching up on the sleep I had not been getting in the past month. All of these things were a testament to God's faithfulness in answering prayer. People in downtown Minneapolis, people at NWC, people at Concordia, people at River Falls, people in Boston, people in Pine City, people in Fargo, all were praying, and I thank you all. God has placed you all in my life for a special reason, and I couldn't be more thankful.
Now, I am home, reflecting on the past few days. What a ride. I'm reminded of many things this weekend; the most important being the glory and provision of my God.
"Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved."
Psalm 55:22
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
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