Plane Ticket!

A couple Tuesday nights ago I purchased my plane ticket - and wrote this post.
I had already done the research and purchasing of the books, but what would really solidify this trip was having the actual ticket "in my pocket" so to speak - tickets are electronic these days. It is now set; I'm flying Delta there and NW home, through Atlanta (no snow storm delays down there!), and I get there two hours before check-in ends. The flight also leaves at 08:15 - almost all the other flights left either at 06:00 or 06:40 - which meant I'd have to wake up at 02:00 to get to the airport on time. So many bonuses and it was the cheapest of the time! If I had been shopping for the ticket earlier, I think I could have gotten it for 100 dollars less, but even earlier than that it was more expensive... so you gain some and you loose some. I'm happy. But it will only feel like I'm really going when I'm actually on the plane... then it's just a matter of making the connecting flight, not getting delayed, and finding transportation from the airport to where I need to be. :) God has worked through so many monetary glitches, issues, and major problems - from writing five application essays, getting more financial aid, and working out payment plans and the major issues found there. I am so thankful to actually be going. I'm excited to see how God will provide for my expenses during my stay in LA! He keeps providing when it looks like there's no way I'll be able to do it. :)

The Reason for This Blog

I was inspired to start this blog after a friend at school asked me if I was going to have a blog of sorts while I was studying off-campus in Los Angeles at a Film Studies Center. But as I thought about what to title it, I was drawn to the implications of why I am going to LA in the first place. Recently I've been awakened to the joy, excitement, and fulfillment that comes from getting to know God, just like you would any other person in an intimate way. That is my goal and purpose in life; knowing God - through learning about what He has a heart for and then participating in that as He leads and calls me. Some of the things I have been learning that He has a passion for are:
1) His Name (and pretty much all glory to it)
2) The salvation of peoples of all nations
3) The blessing of those who follow Him - in order to bless others as His followers recognize their responsibility in this matter
4) The fatherless, widow, oppressed, hurting...

He has led me to a Communications major with a concentration in Integrated Media - because I want to learn how to communicate with people in the most commonly used medium: picture. I also want to learn how to do something that could be a useful skill in missions. So this blog is a documentation of what God is doing in my life as I seek to learn His passions and follow where He leads; a discerning of "how to tell His story and to whom." More specifically, it starts with my semester abroad in Los Angeles where I am learning about film, picture, and storytelling from a Christian perspective.