Well...I'm here!

A little over a week ago my family and I pulled out of our driveway and headed to Milligan. It was hard to leave Louisville!  We arrived at our hotel in Johnson City later that Friday evening. I had a lot of time to think on my drive down here. I thought about how hard it was going to be to say goodbye to my sister and parents. I also thought about what a great opportunity I have to soar and embark on this new journey. I can choose to be "sulky" and miss the fun that's going on around me, or I can choose to enjoy the events that are about to unfold knowing that I am safe and I am in a great environment to grow in.

We got up Saturday morning and left for the beautiful Milligan campus. I was really nervous about getting in the dorms and moving in. But, when I got there several people helped me move in my car load of stuff. After getting everything into my room we started organizing and setting up my room. My roommate came in shortly afterwards and started moving her things into our room. We met a few months back at orientation here at Milligan, and I was so glad to see her! I'm so thankful to have her as a roommate!

This past week has been very busy. Getting used to school work and the college life will take time. I've enjoyed it so far though! Every time that I look out of my window in my dorm room and see the beautiful Appalachian mountains, I smile and think to myself, "I made it here." This is my first full week of classes as well as my first week of piano and voice lessons. I'm excited to start up my music studies again. My biology class has also started well. It's heavy reading, but I love learning and discovering! My humanities class has also been enjoyable. Most of you know that my dad was a history teacher when I was little, so I've grown up with history. It's definitely made humanities more enjoyable and understandable.

I'm so thankful for all of your prayers and thoughts. They mean so much! Below are a few prayer requests that I have. I miss each and every one of you very much. I am enjoying the Milligan College life though! It's been quite the adventure already. :)

Prayer requests: 

• Focus for schoolwork
• Strengthening of my faith
• Beautiful weather :) 
• Focus for piano and voice lessons

Adventure Awaits. 


Shelby Miller

One Week

  As I hugged my sweet cousins goodbye yesterday afternoon and pulled out of my grandmother's driveway, I realized that this is really happening. I'm really going five hours away to college. Over the past few weeks I've had several of these "reality" moments where I grasp the fact that I'm moving away. If you've seen me the past few weeks, I may have mentioned my "stages" to you. Last week, I was as excited as I could be, yet, this week has been hard. I could just write to you a post about how excited and how perfect everything is going. But it wouldn't be 100% true. Yes, I am excited (very much), but I've had more fears and sadness this week. I've cried, had doubts, and have been nervous this week.

  But while waving goodbye to my four cousins playing in my grandma's front yard I realized that I'm making a change in my life. It's so easy to remain in a comfortable position, and to never endure the

emotions and issues that comes with change. I've learned, however, that only when you are taken out of your comfort zone, God can work miracles and he can use you. Now, this doesn't mean you have to pack your bags and move to a mission field in the middle east. God doesn't call all of us to do something like that. However, God does call us to step out of our comfort zones. That might just be your neighbor, the person living on the other side of town, or someplace across the country.

  Change isn't easy. Some people may not like you because you've decided to change, you may have fears and doubts, or you may just feel like giving up all together. But change is essential to your growth as an individual, and more importantly as a Christian. As a Christian, change allows you to grow in your faith because you learn to depend on God, who is stable and unchanging. James wrote about God's unchangingness in his book (James 1:17) "Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow"

  This coming week is going to be challenging. There will be tears and stress (lots of that). But we all know what makes diamonds, right? Pressure. There will be a lot of change going on in my life in the next week, but I'm so thankful that God is calling me to step out of my comfort zone and into his plan, ultimately allowing me to grow closer to him.

Adventure awaits,

Shelby

Oh Darling, lets be adventurers

  A year ago today I was preparing for my senior year. I had my senior pictures taken, I had my schedule of the classes I would take; I had my mind set on having the best year of my life. The school year started and the stress of preparing for college began to sit in. ACT scores, scholarships and schoolwork. That is what the first three-fourths of my senior year looked like. Last fall I also prepared for my vocal audition. I spent dozens of hours practicing my two songs that I would preform for the audition committee: Fair Robin I Love and Lachen Und Wienen. A few weeks later I received my official acceptance letter into the school of my dreams. After that, everything seemed to fall into place.

   I can see how God has prepared me my whole life for Milligan. When I was in the fourth grade, my dad took me on one of his annual field trips to Pine Mountain Settlement School. I fell in love with the mountains and increased my interest in biology and music. These are two important aspects of the Appalachian Mountains. There is plenty of life in the mountains, wether it be the animals or the plants, and there is also a passion for music within the mountain communities. I later found out that my preschool teacher went to Milligan, and my admissions counselor was good friends with a girl I looked up to (and still do) throughout grade school. If that doesn't give you cold chills, then this surely will. My dad grew up spending a lot of time with his youth group from his church. He will tell you stories upon stories of the things that they did and how much fun they had. He will also tell you about his youth group leaders who influenced much of his faith in his high school years. This married couple who lead their youth group ended up moving away, and my dad had always wondered where they went. Little did he know that they moved down to Johnson City, TN (where Milligan is located). The husband is a pastor at a local church and the wife is a professor at Milligan, with whom I will be studying this fall semester. I prayed that God would make it clear where I was supposed to go to college. And without a doubt…he did.

  So, in 10 days I will be packing my bags and following God's leading in my life. The adventure has yet to begin. I can't wait to see what God has waiting for me at Milligan! Here on this blog, I'll fill you in on this adventure that I'm about to head off on. And maybe my posts will inspire you to take an adventure of your own.

 Adventure awaits,

 Shelby