October 7

       I don't know where this song came from, but Mom used to sing it to me: "Let the sun shine in, face it with a grin, smilers never lose, and frowners never win..." Well, the sun was shining in my window again this morning when I woke up, and I faced it with the best grin that I could, considering mornings aren't my thing. The whole day was absolutely beautiful - the sun was out the whole time! It felt like California.
       In the morning, we had to take an assessment test at the library just so the school has an idea of where we are academically. Apparently, I left my math skills somewhere in the 2nd grade. I had a seriously hard time! I knew it was coming, I guess, this math deficiency thing. I've been noticing the signs. You know that billboard from McDonald's that advertises 20 chicken nuggets for $5 (or something like that)? The first time I saw that, it seriously took me at least 3 minutes to figure out how much 1 nugget would cost. Pathetic. This is why I have chosen English and Music as my subjects of choice. I don't eat chicken nuggets anyway.
       After the test, a couple of my friends and I took the Tube to central London. We had so much fun!!! First, we got me a local cell phone which was a relief. Then, we grabbed some paninis at a small shop where it is apparently acceptable to handle food with your money-soiled hands and then give it to customers to consume. (I was really hungry). The afternoon consisted of a sort of treasure hunt around the city which was fantastic fun! The lady who organized and facilitated it is a gem, and she is one of a very small number of competent university employees whom I have encountered so far at MDX. (After she made the call to the airport about my bag and it actually showed up, I knew she could be trusted). Amazing Race style, my friends from Germany, Finland, and Sweden and I ran around the city filling in our questionaire and seeing the beautiful and famous sites. In the end, we didn't win, but we did very well for ourselves and enjoyed it. All the groups met at a pub afterwards to rest our feet and settle our scores, and soon enough my Finnish and German friends and I were off for more food and an invigorating evening watching "Stomp," the stage show. It was unlike anything I have every seen! We got amazing seats - and for half-price too! I could get used to this London thing. The tube ride home took about 40 minutes, and I am currently exhausted.
       I love it when I get the chance to see what creative things people can do when they work together. Watching those dancers/musicians from "Stomp" perform made me think of the story of the Tower of Babel when God said that mankind could do pretty much anything they set their minds to if they work together. Even observing the way such a big city like London works is obvious proof of lots of teamwork and hard work. If mankind is this fascinating, just think how boggled out of our minds we are going to be when we meet Jesus, the creator of all this talent, face to face!

Prayer Request of the Day: That I would boast in Christ alone and learn to let His praise flow from me. He has created some super rad stuff!