I Will Miss This Place
I'm done. 100% completely done with Calvin College. Today I handed in my last paper to my professor and sighed a big sigh of relief. I know it has not fully hit me yet. I have a Teacher Commissioning Ceremony tomorrow (of which I've been asked to lead worship - a true honor) and then I graduate on Saturday...and then...the real world - crazy!The first time "the end" really began to sink in was this past Sunday evening - my last LOFT of 3 years. That afternoon, our team had an early afternoon practice then hung out by Johnny's (the campus food/coffee/hang out place). We ate pizza, drank pop, listened to Paul say his thanks to our team for a year done well and to say good-bye to all the seniors :(, and then we played frisbee until practice #2. Our worship team - made up mostly of seniors that evening - had an amazing rehearsal. We could not explain it, but knew without a doubt that the Holy Spirit had a little (LOT) something to do with it. We were not just practicing - we were truly worshiping and giving God our all before the actual service even began. We even had to refrain ourselves at the end so we would still have voices and "chops" for the service.
So, as usual, we made our way to the chapel basement to have our final time of pre-service
prayer as a team along with Chaplain Cooper - who would be preaching for the last time as our Chaplain - and elders from a local church who were helping us serve communion that evening. Again, we felt the Spirit move mightily in that time of prayer. We gave God that year and we gave God that service and ourselves to be used for his glory. We offered up to him our humble offerings of praise and surrendered the next year(s) of LOFT to him as well.8:00 rolled around...we made our way up onto the platform, waited for the drum click-off...and then all started "The Lord Be With You" - the classic song of gathering for the LOFT community...
I will miss this place. I will miss this place that has given me the room to grow, that has challenged me to think about and articulate my faith in ways I had never been forced to do before, that has provided me with the knowledge to go out into the world and be a living example for Christ. I will miss this place that has helped me find myself in a crazy and changing world, that has provided me with life-long friends that will forever be ingrained on my heart, that has shown me what true Christian community is, this place that has helped me better understand the depth of worship and has molded me into the worship leader I was striving to be.
This phenomenal establishment...this amazing community...this irreplaceable experience will forever be a part of me and will continue shaping me and molding me into a young woman of God through the power and operation of the Holy Spirit.
...at the end of the LOFT service Sunday evening, I was very emotional. It was all starting to hit me: all the amazing people I have been honored to meet and have had the privilege of working with and worshiping God with...all the rich ways that God has blessed me by being at Calvin College. God is SO good.
If I have been this blessed in these past four years, I can't wait (Lord willing) to see what he has in store for me in the next four years!!!
This entry was posted
on Thursday, May 17, 2007 at 5:25 PM.
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I have no doubt that God is going to bless you richly over the next 4 years . . . but, honestly, there's nothing like college. They are some of the best years of your life.
College may be done . . . but the memories last forever . . . as do the friendships!
Bittersweet endings, but so many new and exciting beginnings ahead! Congratulations on your graduation, Shelly!
We are so proud of you!
YES! I'm in that picture. That was Tim Haig's last Friday chapel, and he had me and Morgan play at it!
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